Renarts Don't Mind If You Pick Up Other Girls In The Dungeon!
by Ashkar
Summary: Begins at the end of vol 7. Ishtar's attempt to Charm Bell awakens something in him. How will Bell's run in with Ishtar change his outlook? OOC Bell because in character he's a terrible MC. Confident Haruhime after truths are revealed. This is my version of DanMachi. Canon-ish. very slow and sporadic updates (On Hiatus until I catch up on a couple of my other fanfics)
1. A New Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

"Talking"

 _'Thinking'_

 ***SPELL/ABILITY***

 **A/N** : First off thanks for taking the time to read this... my first A/N will be kind of long especially for most A/N but I'm going to tell you the differences between this fanfic and the canon... honestly, not much is different but the differences are in Bell... he doesn't have different abilities or equipment just a different (kind of) drive... The big difference being his skill Liaris Freese... his will and drive that is fueling that skill is his want to be a True Hero... He still thinks Ais is the person he is trying to catch up to because he sees her as the closest thing to a hero in Orario, thinks she beautiful, etc... but his skill was brought about by his will to be a hero... the other thing about him that will be a little different will be his personality... I honestly didn't like Bell's character in the LNs until vol 11 and I absolutely think Hestia is one of the worst LN characters ever conceived... why do I own all 12 volumes you ask? I love every other character in DanMachi... like all of them... the world of DanMachi has a ton of incredible characters Syr, Ryuu, Eina, Ais, Tione, Tiona, Haruhime, Mikoto, Weine, the list goes on and on... that is why I love DanMachi so much... it is just a bonus now that I finally like Bell... so I'm going to take Bell's newfound confidence he got in vol 11 and finally cemented in vol 12 and give it to him from the start of my fanfic... He will still get flustered on occasion but he usually won't be the bumbling, flustered, nonconfident Bell you are used to from canon... The last thing about Bell is I'm going to make him 16 at the start of my fanfic, not 14 like he is in canon... This fanfic is going to pick up at the end of Vol 7 and go from there... as you can see if you read the tags, it's a Bell X Haruhime pairing... that is why I'm starting at vol 7... spoiler (not really), this is going to turn into a harem if you couldn't tell from the title lol... I believe the harem will be Haruhime/Syr/Ais/Eina... I might add more or could change out one or more... I am a huge fan of Ryuu and Tiona so that is always a possibility... There's a reason I'm starting with Haruhime as the first girl... you will see after you read a bit of the story... thanks for reading my long ass A/N, now let's get to the first chapter!

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With Aisha defeated, Bell stumbled his way toward Haruhime, kneeled, and braced her upper body against his knees. Suddenly, a pillar of light rose to the heavens right in front of his eyes, the sonic boom pushing against his skin.

 _'What is that? No way.'_ he thought to himself as he looked upon the celestial light in awe.

A deity had been sent back to heaven. The boy had never seen anything like this colossal beacon in his young life. He wasn't the only one to behold it for the first time, either. Other citizens of Orario looked out their windows with their own eyes to see the gigantic pillar dominating the landscape. The songs of fairies that had been passed down through tales of heroes and mythical stories, or perhaps the roars of ferocious monsters that shook the land under his feet, were the only things that could rival the mythical light before him at this moment. All were seared into his memory.

Bell's breathing slowed as he watched the pillar part the clouds and continue on beyond the sky. It was as if this new light were illuminating the whole world at once. The shaking that accompanied the pillar suddenly stopped like the stillness after an earthquake. A sense of calm descended over Gekai. Putting his arm around Haruhime to support her shoulders, Bell sat in silence for a few moments. His mind wandered as he looked off into the distance. Gaze shifting, a certain divine being came into view.

"A goddess?" Bell whispers

She was standing on the roof of the main tower. The Floating Garden wasn't quite as high as the main tower, but Bell could clearly see the deity standing close to the edge. Even at a distance, the goddess's perfect body was mesmerizing. There was a different aura to it, compared to Ishtar's beauty gone too far. Yes, a tranquil beauty that he could look at until the end of time, almost magical. Her silver hair flowed in the breeze, sparkling like the stars in the night sky.

The goddess turned to face Bell, who had lost all concept of time as he stared up at her. That's when the boy realized she was smiling at him. And also, he felt a jolt! A foreboding wave of cold sweat ran down his spine. He knew this feeling. He'd felt it many times before. The feeling of being seen, a gaze that didn't hold anything back. The boy was speechless as his eyes registered the deity's lips moving. While her voice didn't reach him, their meaning washed over him like rolling thunder.

"I love you." Each one of the silent syllables echoed through his mind. It's her. Bell was sure of it. This was the intense gaze he constantly felt watching him.

At long last, the eyes of the girl in his embrace started to flutter. Her green pupils emerged moments later and she looked up toward his face.

"Master Cranell?" Haruhime says

Her green eyes met Bell's ruby-red gaze. The girl was slowly but surely waking up. Bell watched her eyes clear for a moment before he gathered the girl's long golden hair and laid it over his right arm. Ignoring the surprised look on Haruhime's face, the boy put his right hand behind her head and pulled her close into his chest. Haruhime's fox ears and tail twitched nervously, her cheeks blushing bright pink.

With Haruhime's body braced against his, both of Bell's hands were free. His fingers ran down her thin neck. And slipped beneath the black collar still attached to her. He grabbed both sides of the magic item and pulled.

 **SNAP!**

"Ahh…" Realizing what just happened, Haruhime cautiously brought her right hand up to her neck in disbelief. The black curse of a leash that had restrained her for years had finally been lifted. Her eyes jumped up to the boy's face. Just one look at his bloody, wound-riddled visage told her all she needed to know. Tears flooded her eyes, making them sparkle in the moonlight.

 _'What are you supposed to say at times like this again?'_ Bell thinks

Supporting the sitting Haruhime with both his arms, Bell's mind went to work. Thinking through all the heroes the girl liked, Bell desperately searched for the right words. Then, in the end, he found the simplest, right words to say...

"I've come to save you." he says to the girl

The first tear rolled down Haruhime's cheek, followed closely by a smile as radiant as a beautiful flower blooming in the early morning sun. The distance was gone. Her real smile had finally surfaced. One look at her and Bell couldn't help but do the same.

"Thank you, my hero." she says to him

Those words made Bell's cheeks turn pink. A carefree, almost childlike smile grew on his lips. Bell shared a moment of joy and happiness with the crying yet smiling renart. As they gazed into each other's eyes, Haruhime got lost in his gaze felling like she was truly a maiden in one of her favorite stories. As Ruby eyes stared deep in Emerald ones, she brought her left hand up, slowly and gently tracing his jawline with her fingertips.

"Doesn't the hero usually get a kiss after he saves her." Haruhime says as she gazes deeper into his eyes

When Bell think about it, she is right. In his stories, the hero usually gets a kiss from the beautiful maiden he saves.

 _'Haruhime is certainly beautiful.'_ he thinks as he sees her leaning towards him for a kiss.

If Aisha hadn't told him about her still being an innocent Renart, Bell probably would have hesitated to share his first real kiss with the girl, but after the revelation that she was indeed not a prostitute, he slowly closed his eyes to meet her lips with his.

As their lips met, Bell could feel how soft and perfect her lips were. It was a gentle and emotional kiss, filled with caring and love. As they broke their quick kiss and their eyes met again, Haruhime could see the caring in his eyes. She realized she was not in one of her stories and she, a prostitute, had just kissed such a sweet and innocent boy.

She immediately regretted losing herself in the moment and couldn't believe she did that. She had no right even being Bell's concubine, let alone stealing a kiss from him. She immediately gets a worried look on her face and begins to apologize profusely.

"I-I-I'm so sorry Master Bell... I know I don't even deserve to be your concubine and I kissed you like that. Please forgive me." Haruhime says to him.

Bell is quite shocked at her reaction to their kiss. He didn't see anything wrong with it, and her saying she wasn't worthy of him was one of the most ridiculous things he thought he ever heard anyone say. If anything he probably wasn't worthy to have his first kiss be with a royal Renart who was as beautiful as any goddess in this world.

"Don't say that Haruhime. I feel I'm the one who didn't deserve his first kiss to be with such a beautiful, royal Renart like you." he tells her

"Y-Y-Your first kiss?! I-I-I stole your first kiss?!..." she says voice full of worry

Haruhime looks like she is about to be sick. Not only did she kiss him when she had no right to, but it was also his first kiss. He would never have his first kiss with the person he loved and she stole that from him without even thinking. Fresh tears started to stream down her face but before Bell could tell her it was alright, he heard people screaming his name coming closer.

"BELL!" Hestia yells

"MASTER BELL!" Lili yells

"Goddess, Lili, what are you doing here?" he asks them

"Lili was worried about you Master Bell. We need to get you some medical attention." Lili says to him

"I'm fine Lili. We need to get Haruhime out of here. Where is Mikoto? Is she alright?" Bell asks

"We found her at the base of the tower. It seems someone used an Elixir on her. She will be fine, Welf, Ouka, and Chigusa are taking her back to the mansion right now so she can rest. Why don't you let us take Haruhime? You need to rest yourself." Hestia says and grabs the Renart's arm and almost pulls it out trying to get her off of Bell.

"Goddess! Be careful, she has been through a lot today!" Bell scolds her not liking at all how rough his goddess was being with her.

Bell helps Haruhime up on her feet and makes sure she is alright to walk. Once she gets her balance, he says something to her she has been waiting to hear for many years.

"Are you ready to go home Haruhime?" Bell asks

"Yes, Master Bell. I am." she replies

Hestia and Lili don't like at all how Bell is treating Haruhime right now. He never left her side and helped her all the way to the mansion. They especially didn't like that Haruhime was holding on to Bell's arm the entire way to their home like she was being escorted home by her boyfriend.

Lili wanted to run up and forcibly separate them but knew Bell would be furious if she did that. Hestia contemplated for a second not letting the girl join her familia like she knew Bell would want but quickly dismissed that thought. If she did that to this girl after everything Bell did, she was pretty sure he would never forgive her and maybe even leave himself. They made their way back to the mansion with each of them lost in their own thoughts.

 **Two days later...**

Goddess Freya was called before the Guild to answer for her part in what happened in the Pleasure Quarter. Even a familia as powerful as the Freya Familia would have to answer for something that major happening in Orario. Freya didn't say much, she simply paid her outrageously large fine and left with few words.

Deities and mortals alike grew pretty fearful of the Freya Familia. The Ishtar Familia was considered an elite familia in Orario and she had destroyed the entire familia in the short span of a single night. It didn't seem to bother Freya in the least as she made her way back to the top floor of Babel and to her throne at the top of Orario.

Haruhime currently found herself at the home of the Takemikazuchi Familia speaking with their god. The deity's eyes were filled with the same loving care he'd had for every child all those years ago. They were just as she remembered them. Haruhime could feel their warmth as Takemikazuchi stood with his arms folded across his chest. There was also the same three-cornered hairstyle along with the unmistakable image of being dirt poor. Seeing him face to face again after all this time made Haruhime so happy, she wanted to laugh out loud.

"Haruhime, are you sure about this? You can go back to the Far East if you wish. You might not be able to return to your manor, but there are goddesses like Tsukuyomi who would welcome you with open arms back home." the god says to her

"I appreciate your concern Lord Takemikazuchi, but I am fine. I can't remember the last time I felt this happy, to be honest." she tells him as she gives him one of her smiles that reminds him of a summer flower in full bloom.

"Very well, I suppose we will be neighbors of sorts again. Feel free to drop by any time you wish." he tells her and returns her smile

As they finished their conversation, the rest of the Takemikazuchi Familia made their way into the room and approached her.

"Haruhime, there are so many things we need to catch up on." Chigusa says to her

"Yes, there is Chigusa. We will have plenty of time to catch up, I promise." she tells her

"We are sorry Haruhime. If we knew you were in trouble we would have helped you sooner." Ouka says to her

"Do not worry Sir Ouka. I am beyond happy to be able to talk to you all again." she tells him

She noticed a tear falling down Chigusa's face, which was hidden behind her bangs. Ouka just shook his head, serious as usual. Takemikazuchi still had the same smile on his face from his talk with her earlier. They shared a few more words with each other then Haruhime took her leave to head to her new familia's home. She practically ran the whole way while skipping down the street she was so excited. As she made it to her new familia's newly remodeled manor, she saw her new family out on the lawn talking with Aisha.

"Bell Cranell, you better not let me down. You went through all that trouble to show me you could protect Haruhime so don't let anything happen to her or I'll be back for you." she says and points her finger at him to make sure he knows she is serious.

"Don't worry Aisha. I won't let anything happen to Haruhime. I promise you that." Bell says

"Honestly, I was thinking of joining your familia since you and Haruhime were both here." Aisha says to him. She reaches out to stroke Bell's chin but is interrupted by his goddess.

"Anyone but you! Bell will get eaten up!" Hestia says as she steps in between the two.

Bell just rolls his eyes at Hestia's behavior. It was starting to get pretty annoying and frustrating the way she acted like Bell was some fragile little boy. He had defeated countless monsters he had no chance of beating, won a Wargame no one gave him a chance to win, and even went toe to toe with a level 5 adventurer just a few days ago. It was time to show Hestia he was no longer just a scared little rabbit.

"I don't mind if you join the familia Aisha." he steps around Hestia and gets incredibly close to Aisha. He leans past her face so his lips are right next to her ear and whispers to her. "I think I know how to keep you in line anyway."

Bell notices the goosebumps that form on Aisha's skin when he says that to her. He slowly backs away and looks Aisha right in the eyes. Aisha is surprised Bell is confident enough to tease her like that. He is certainly not the scared little rabbit her and the other Amazons were chasing through the Pleasure Quarter all those days ago.

"I see the little rabbit has become a man but you still might want to be careful Bell. I'm not sure you could handle an Amazon that you tease like that." Aisha says and gives him a smile that gives him goosebumps in return.

"You would be surprised what I can handle Aisha." Bell says

Hestia, Lili, and Welf are surprised at Bell's boldness. They had all witnessed his confidence in battle but teasing an Amazon was something they never pictured the teenager doing without turning brick red in embarrassment. It seems Bell is growing up as fast as he was leveling, which none of them still could figure out. Hestia couldn't believe what was going on. It seemed to her like Bell liked this Amazon and she couldn't let that happen.

"Maybe I should have talked to you before but unfortunately I have already joined another familia. I have a feeling it would have been fun to be a part of this familia." Aisha says with a smirk towards Bell.

The look in her eyes even gave Welf goosebumps. He had no idea how Bell kept drawing incredibly beautiful women to him but admired how the rabbit was handling it now. Hestia and Lili looked like they were going to faint at the implication Aisha was saying. They needed to get her away from Bell as soon as possible. They all noticed Haruhime walking through the gate and coming towards them. Aisha and Bell, both with smiles still on their faces, turn towards the Renart and greet her with a wave. Haruhime smiles back at her hero and only friend from Ishtar Familia getting along so well.

"Are you all done Haruhime?" Bell asks her

"Yes, I have finished talking everything over with Lord Takemikazuchi and his familia. Lady Aisha, I can't thank you enough-" she is cut off by Aisha

"You can cut out the sentimental stuff Haruhime. You know I'm no good at it. You know I only do what I want so there is no need to thank me for it." she tells the Renart

"Well, we will still thank you for helping Haruhime, Aisha." Bell says

"You helped her just as much as I did Bell. I do have something for you Haruhime." Aisha reaches into her pack and pulls out a book for her. "Read this whenever you get a minute Haruhime. It will help you with your magic. Remember to be careful when you use your magic. I made sure none of the Berbera would say anything about your magic so you don't have anything to worry about when it comes to them."

"Thank you Lady Aisha." Haruhime says

"Speaking of the Berbera, whatever happened to Phryne?" Bell asks

"Oh, we found that toad beat to a pulp in the garden. It looked like she had been through hell so I doubt you will have to worry about her anytime soon." she tells him

Bell was relieved that Aisha said he didn't need to worry about Phryne any time soon. He didn't like that she was beaten so badly but figured she probably brought that on herself. His little bit of interaction with her made it near impossible for him to feel that bad for her.

"Well, I'm headed off to my new familia. If something comes up, come find me. I don't mind giving you advice if you need some Bell." she says

"What familia did you end up joining?" Bell asks her

"Oh, that is a secret." she smiles and gives him a wink then starts heading towards the gate to leave.

"Thank you for everything Lady Aisha!" Haruhime yells.

Aisha doesn't even turn she just gives a wave as she leaves the Hestia Familia home. Haruhime stared at the gate until Aisha left then turned to face Bell and the rest of her new familia.

"I, Sanjyouno Haruhime, would like to officially join the Hestia Familia. As a fellow member, I promise to-"

"No need for the fancy words Ms. Haruhime. I haven't been here that long myself. It is very nice to meet you. My name is Welf Crozzo, but just call me Welf. I am the familia's blacksmith." Welf tells her

"Lili is glad to meet you Ms. Haruhime. My name is Lilliluka Erde." Lili says

"I guess that makes me the last one. I know the last few days have been crazy but I am Hestia. Welcome to the family, officially." Hestia says

"The pleasure is all mine!" she responds with enthusiasm.

It was nice to finally get to meet the members of her new familia. The last few days had been so crazy she barely had time to rest let alone talk with anyone from the familia. She gave a deep bow to her new familia members. She was surprised when she raised her head that her new goddess had walked right up to her.

"But listen here, Ha-ru-hi-me. It appears that you have some rather risky emotions when it comes to Bell. I brought him up myself, and I won't allow any hotheaded shenanigans!" Hestia says to her

"Wha… umm, huh…?"

"Please don't say such ridiculous things! Just who exactly brought up Mr. Bell? Isn't Lady Hestia just a goddess with a massive debt and living off Mr. Bell's hard work?" Lili says to the goddess

"Hey! A goddess's dark secrets are not something to be talked about in front of new recruits!" Hestia says to the Pallum

"Yeah, you can ignore all that." Welf tells Haruhime

Hestia and Lilly's argument picked up speed, the two glaring at each other as Welf laughed drily and shrugged at Haruhime. Bell watched the two of them argue with a look of almost frustration on his face.

 _'Oh yes, this could be fun.'_ Haruhime thought to herself as she watched the interactions of her new allies with a laugh threatening to burst from her cheeks. The front door of the manor opened without warning and Mikoto tried to make her way shakily out of the manor.

"Ms. Mikoto! You should be resting right now!" Haruhime says to her

"You shouldn't be on your feet Mikoto. You need to rest!" Bell says just as worried as Haruhime is.

"I-I-It's ok. I only have the symptoms of mind down still. I also wanted to c-c-celebrate Lady Haruhime's inauguration to the familia." Mikoto says

Bell and Welf both took some worried steps toward Mikoto as they notice her trying to stumble out of the manor. She had received treatment before anyone in the familia had made it to her in the Pleasure Quarter. Physically she was doing fine but the drowsiness she was experiencing from mind down was going to take a few more days to recover from. They knew she was up and about from sheer willpower to see her old friend again. As she was making her way down the steps, she tripped and fell right into Haruhime's arms.

"I'm sorry Lady Haruhime." Mikoto says

"You don't need to apologize Ms. Mikoto. It is I who should apologize. I have caused you so much trouble and pain. I-"

"Lady Haruhime, you do not need to apologize." Mikoto says to her as she pulls away from her childhood friend. Haruhime got a determined look in her eyes and summoned all her courage to tell her friend what she wanted to say.

"Thank you for saving me Mikoto." she says to her

Mikoto could see the tears about to form in Haruhime's eyes. Her lips quivered at the sight and she was overcome with emotion. She only wanted one thing from Haruhime.

"Lady Haruhime, please smile for me." she requests

"Huh?" the Renart says

"Just like when we were kids. I want to see you smile from the bottom of your heart Lady Haruhime." Mikoto says

Haruhime's surprise lasted for only a moment. Meeting Mikoto's dark-purple eyes, which were on the verge of bursting, with her own tearful green eyes, Haruhime beamed a great smile at her old friend. Teardrops now freely falling from her face, Mikoto let her happiness broaden across her entire face and smiled back. It was just the same as back in their hometown, the two sharing grins like little girls. It was the first time in far too long, but it was exactly how they remembered.

"Master Bell, you truly have my gratitude." Haruhime says to him

"It was my pleasure Haruhime. Also, could you please not call me master? I can't get Lili to stop calling me that but I would like it if you would just call me Bell. We are all family now." Bell tells her

Haruhime closed her eyes and cried once more. Carved into her back, Hestia's Blessing flooded her body with comfort and warmth, making Haruhime feel as if she was being plunged into a world of kindness. She felt a flood of emotions rising to the surface and tried to hold it all together.

"I am happy to call you my family Mast- I mean Bell. May our relationship last forever." Haruhime says and lowers herself into a deep bow. Her face was like a sakura tree in bloom when she finally raised her head.

"Hold on a minute there Haruhime. Don't you think your choice of words was a little strange?" Hestia says

"I agree!" Lili says

"Really?" Haruhime says

"Take it easy on her you two. You are being ridiculous." Bell says

"Yeah, we have other things to talk about, like how we are going to celebrate our new recruit!" Welf says

"That is a great idea Welf. Alright, let's plan a welcoming party!" Hestia says

"Hold. On. Right. There! We don't have the money for something like that!" Lili protests

"Don't be such a drag Lil E. Bell, you think we should have a party for her right?" Welf says

"I think it is a great idea. It is for Ms. Haruhime after all." Bell replies

"Master Bell!" Lili yells she can't believe even Bell wanted to waste money like this

"Y-Y-You don't have to do that for me. I am happy just being a part of the familia honestly." Haruhime tells them.

"Of course we do Lady Haruhime. We can invite Lord Takemikazuchi and the rest of the familia too!" Mikoto says

Haruhime gets another smile on her face from the bottom of her heart. The Renart didn't feel like she needed to keep her distance anymore and could open her heart to her new family. She looked up into the clear sky and the emblem above the front door. Each seemed to be welcoming her to her new family in their own way.

"Come on Haruhime. Let's go check out your new home." Bell says to her

Welf helps Mikoto into the house followed closely by Hestia and Lili. Bell grabs Haruhime's hand and starts leading her to the front door. She blushes a deep crimson at Bell holding her hand. As they make it into the house, Bell sees everyone starting to sit down in the dining room and thinks this is the perfect chance for him to talk to Haruhime about what she said on top of the tower. Everyone seemed to be sitting down and not paying much attention to them. He couldn't have her going around thinking so badly about herself and this was the first chance he had to talk with her since that day.

"Haruhime, can I talk to you before we go join everyone else in there?" Bell asks

"Sure Ma- Bell. What do you need?" Haruhime says to him

"It is about what you said after my battle with Aisha." he says

Haruhime gets a worried look on her face. She had tried to forget about stealing Bell's first kiss, but she still felt beyond horrible about what she did. She had no idea how she was going to make it up to him but she was certainly going to try as much as possible.

"I-I-I'm sorry Bell. I know I shouldn't have done that. You deserve to have your first kiss with someone who deserved it and not a prostitute. I'm so, so, so sorry." she apologizes and bows to him

"I told you I didn't mind Haruhime, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you abou-" Bell is interrupted by Lili and Hestia

"Bell! Haruhime! Are you going to join us?" they both say

"Coming!" Haruhime said

She was actually really grateful for the interruption. She hoped Bell would simply forget about it at some point. She was certain she was in love with Bell. She thought about that kiss just about every moment she was awake and even in her dreams most of the time. She also knew that someone like her didn't deserve someone like Bell. She had gotten very good at bottling up her emotions over the last few years as a prisoner. She would just have to do that with Bell and be happy that she could admire him from a distance as another member of his familia.

Bell was starting to get frustrated that every time he tried to speak with Haruhime he kept getting interrupted. He had known her for a couple weeks now and ever since he learned about her from Aisha, he had wanted to tell her she wasn't just another prostitute. Someone as kind and caring as Haruhime didn't deserve to think herself so low. He was going to have to talk to her sooner rather than later. He would look for any opportunity he could to be able to talk to her about this without getting interrupted.

 **Later that night...**

Haruhime was laying in her bed trying to drift off to sleep. It was not going well for her. She couldn't stop thinking about what had transpired over the last couple of days. Every time she thought about what happened it made her smile that so many people were willing to help her. Whenever she thought about the kiss she shared with Bell, her fingers instinctually reached for her lips.

Thinking about Bell's lips made her feel something she had never experienced. Her stomach always started to heat up along with her face and thighs. She started trailing her hand down her body to try and get rid of the feeling overtaking her now. Before she could go too far, she shook her head to stop herself.

"I need to cool off. Perhaps a stroll through the garden will do me some good and I can sleep after that." she says to no one in particular. She gets up from her bed, throws on her kimono, and makes her way down the steps and outside to the garden.

Bell was also having trouble sleeping that night for much the same reason Haruhime was. He was thinking about the last few days just as she was. Bell seemed to attract insanity around him when he thought about it. Every time he thought about Haruhime, he couldn't help but think about the kiss they shared. He could still remember her soft lips touching his. It was a wonderful first kiss for him in his opinion. He was almost certain he had feelings for Haruhime but he thought the same thing about a few of the girls he had met since arriving in Orario.

His mind immediately went to Ais, Syr, Tiona, Ryuu, and Eina. Ais was easily the most understandable. Every male and even some females in Orario thought she was beautiful. Syr was kind to him from the first time they had met and also very beautiful. Eina was a little different, he was almost sure he just saw her as a sister and that was why he was always so drawn to her. He started to think that wasn't the case because no brother would think of his sister the way Bell started to think of Eina.

When his mind drifted back to Haruhime, he thought about what he still hadn't told her. There was no reason he should have left her to think herself nothing but a lowly prostitute but every time he tried to talk to her they got interrupted by someone. He would go talk to her now but he knew she had a rough few days and was probably already sleeping.

 _'I need to go for a walk and clear my head. I'm just confusing myself thinking about all of this.'_ he thinks to himself before quickly throwing on some clothes and making his way outside to walk around the garden and think. Once he made it outside, he noticed Haruhime sitting on a bench in the garden staring up in the sky at the stars. He quietly makes his way to the bench not to disturb her and sits down next to her.

"It's a nice night isn't it." he says.

Haruhime nearly jumps out of her skin when he said that. She didn't hear anyone come outside let alone sit down next to her she was so lost in thought. After she finally composed herself and realized Bell was sitting just a few inches from her, she finally said something.

"Y-Y-Yes it is!" she says obviously flustered at Bell being so close to her but he took it as her being startled by him sneaking up on her

"I'm sorry for sneaking up like that. I didn't want to interrupt you, you looked like you were thinking about something." Bell tells her

"I-I-It's alright. Truthfully, I was thinking about someone, I mean something." she replies

"If you don't mind. Do you think we could talk for a minute?" he asks her

"S-S-Sure Master Bell." Haruhime says to him. Now she is nervous he wants to talk about their kiss again and she doesn't think she can handle dealing with that again.

"Haruhime, can you please not call me master? I've tried getting Lili to stop saying that but she refuses. I really don't want someone like you calling me that please." Bell asks of her

"I-I-I'm sorry Bell. It's been a h-h-habit since I became a... well you know..." she trails off and lowers her head in shame.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about Haruhime." Bell was going to continue but she cut him off

"Please don't Bell. I already feel terrible for what I did. I don't want to hear you talk about what I used to do, please." she pleads to him

"I'm sorry Haruhime but I need to tell you this. I know you used to be a prostitute but you've never actually been with a man before." he says to her

"Please don't say that Bell. I know you want to think of me like I didn't do that before but it's not true and I don't want you to think of me that way. So please don't." she is almost in tears at this point.

"I'm not lying Haruhime. Aisha told me that every time you would see someones bare skin, you would pass out and the person would always leave. You are amazing Haruhime and it hurts me to see you think so low of yourself." he grabs her chin to lift her head up and look right into his eyes so she knows what he says is the truth. "You are not a lowly prostitute Haruhime. You were just a beautiful maiden, trapped in a tower, who needed someone to come save her."

As Haruhime stares into his Ruby eyes she can see no deceit in them. He is telling her the truth she knows this for certain. A sense of relief washes over her as she let's what he said sink in. When she finally calms her emotions, she is still staring right into his Ruby eyes and she can't help but want to kiss him again.

Bell sees Haruhime slowly start to close her eyes and lean towards him for another kiss. He isn't quite sure what to do. He is pretty sure he has feelings for her but doesn't want to act on them before he figures out what has been on his mind. It wouldn't be fair to her to kiss her then tell her he liked other girls.

But Bell had taken too much time to think about what to do and Haruhime had kissed him instead. As soon as their lips met again, Bell melted against those soft lips again and kissed her back fiercely. What was probably supposed to be a quick kiss turned into a short make-out session that lasted about a minute. When they finally broke the kiss, Bell realized what he did and started to apologize.

"I-I-I'm sorry Haruhime. I should have never done that. I apologize." Bell quickly says

"I-I-It is my fault Bell. I lost myself in your eyes again like on the tower and couldn't help myself. I know I am not worthy of your affections." she says and quickly gets up to leave so she can hide forever in her room. Bell is having none of that, there is no way he is going to let her think that, never again. He grabs her hand before she can run off and spins her to face him.

"Haruhime, you are more than worthy of my affections. If anyone isn't worthy, it is me. I didn't think I shouldn't kiss you, not because of you, but because of me. I have feelings for you, but I think I also have feelings for other girls. I don't want to hurt your feelings before I'm sure Haruhime." Bell tells her

"Y-Y-You have feelings for me?" she asks shakily, Bell just nods his head. "But you like other girls too?" he nods once more. She just wraps her arms around him and hugs him as tight as she possibly can.

"H-H-Haruhime?! What are you doing?!" Bell asks. He is surprised at her strength. Her hug is actually starting to hurt a little bit. She finally releases him and looks up at him.

"I don't mind if you have more girlfriends then just me Bell." she says.

Bell is stunned into silence. There is absolutely no way she just said that. He had to of been hearing things. He finally gets his wits about him and says.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"I said, I don't mind if you have more then one girlfriend. You are like the heroes straight out of a book, caring, kind, brave, handsome. When I said I wouldn't mind being your concubine, I meant it. Even after finding out what you told me, I still wouldn't mind that." she says to him

"Even if you weren't kidding, which I'm pretty sure you are. I doubt any other girl would feel the same as you." Bell somehow gets out

"I am not joking Bell. I think you underestimate how heroic and handsome you are. I'll prove it to you, tell me who else you have feelings for." Haruhime says

"Umm... why would you want to know that?" Bell asks

"I just told you. It's so I can show you I'm not kidding. Is there someone you have feelings for that we could go see right now?" Haruhime asks

"I think you must be tired Haruhime. Maybe we should just go to sleep and you will be thinking clearly in the morning." Bell tries to reason with her. There is no way she can be serious about this. She has been through a ton the last couple of years and he is pretty sure that is what is bringing all this on.

"I'm not tired Bell. Actually, I've never been happier after what you told me. I'm going to show you I'm not kidding. If you don't want to tell me all of them, just tell me one we could go see right now." she says to him

"I don't even know if she feels the same about me and I doubt telling her I have feelings for her with you being there will go over well." he says

"You know I'm not going to let this go until you tell me right?" she says with determination in her eyes. Bell can't help but just sigh. He came out here to tell her she shouldn't think so low of herself and now she is here trying to build him a harem.

 _'Wait, a harem. Is what grandfather said really a possibility?'_ he thinks to himself

"Fine, but I know this isn't going to end well. The only one I can think of that we could talk to this late would be Syr. She is a waitress at the Hostess of Fertility and it should still be open for a little while longer." he finally tells her. This was probably a bad idea but knowing how shy Haruhime was, she wouldn't go through with this once they got there.

"Finally! Now, take me to the Hostess of Fertility!" she says and grabs his hand to lead him through the gate and into town.

"Ummm, Haruhime. We are going to need money. Mama Mia won't like it if we show up and not buy anything. That is one woman you do not want to make angry. Let me go get my money." Bell tells her

Bell quietly makes his way up to his room and grabs his pouch with his valis in it. He couldn't stop thinking that this was complete insanity. Stuff like this didn't happen. He hoped she chickened out when they got there. He could only imagine the beating he would receive from Syr, Ryuu, and probably the rest of the staff if she actually went through with this plan of hers.

"Ready to go?" Haruhime says when he returns

"Yes..." he sighs audibly mentally preparing for the beating he is about to receive and they head off for the Hostess of Fertility.

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And there is chapter 1... I'm sure you realize by now why I started with Haruhime as the first girl in his life... not so sure every other girl will be as open as Haruhime guess you will just have to keep reading to find out lol! Hope you enjoyed it... Bell and Haruhime's character sheets are below... It is pretty much exactly as you would expect this far into the story... only difference would be I slightly changed Haruhime's magic and that is the reason she is level 2 and not level 1 like she normally is right after joining the familia... she has been going deep into the dungeon with Ishtar familia for a while so that is where she got all the excelia to level... she has been all the way down to level 45 and used her magic on them... that is 8 levels lower then Bell has reached at the end of vol 12 so obviously she would have gained more than enough excelia to level diving that deep... Lastly, can anyone tell me if it is Renard or Renart, excelia or excilia? The Fandom Wiki, Wikipedia page, my digital LNs, and my physical copies all have different spellings but those are the two that appear... thanks for reading and see you next chapter

 **Bell Cranell (Level 3)**

Strength - F 377

Defense - F 389

Dexterity - F 394

Agility - D 598

Magic - F 352

Luck - H

Immunity - I

Firebolt

Liaris Freese

Argonaut

 **Haruhime (Level 2)**

Strength - I 28

Defense - I 48

Dexterity - I 35

Agility - I 44

Magic - E 458

Uchide No Kozuchi - Magic that boosts the level of the target by 1 - cannot be cast on the caster - only one target may benefit from its effect at a time - a small amount of the excelia earned by the target of the spell is also given to the caster


	2. The Silver-Haired Server Syr

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

"Talking"

 _'Thinking'_

 ***SPELL/ABILITY***

 **A/N:** I see that people like the story so I will continue it. I am not going to be updating this as much as my other fanfics but it will get updated. I'm guessing about once every few months for this fanfic. Obviously, if you couldn't tell, this fanfic is based on the LNs and not the anime with a few tweaks here and there to people's personalities. I will also probably be giving Bell, Welf, Mikoto, Haruhime, etc skills and abilities that are not found in the LNs but I think fit their characters pretty well. You will see what I mean when Bell reaches level 4. I already have a new skill for him that he is going to gain when he levels. Review reply time...

 **Dethroned King Umbros:** I did a double post to see which one would get more views. I took down the one under Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In The Dungeon so it is only posted once now.

 **AGuyWithAStory:** This whole story is based on the LNs so if you haven't read them, it will be all new info I suppose. Not sure if you read my first A/N but I absolutely can't stand Hestia. Probably my least favorite LN/Anime character of all time to be honest. I won't be bashing her per se but don't expect me to make her likable. I don't even think that is possible.

 **Trean:** You are correct that Haruhime went down in a cage to the dungeon with Ishtar familia but if you read my A/N at the end of the story and read her magic description at the end of her character sheet you would have seen that a little bit of the excelia gained by the person she casts her magic on is also given to her, that is how she leveled. While she might have been in a cage, she doesn't need to actually do any fighting to gain excelia, just let the person she casts her magic on kill monsters and she will gain it. Being down that deep in the dungeon and casting her magic on level 3, 4, and 5 adventurers would certainly give enough excelia for a level 1 magic caster to reach level 2.

 **Veghan:** I've been waiting for a Bell X Haruhime fanfic. I'm kind of surprised there aren't more fanfics with Haruhime as a love interest. I figured a lot of people would love to write about a sexy ass fox girl with blonde hair and an amazing body. I guess you never know what people will like lol. The only one I've seen was just a one-shot and while it was good, it was just a lemon basically so I do plan on continuing this. Currently writing 2 other fanfics and I am doing this one to switch it up so I don't burn myself out on Overlord and Familiar of Zero.

 **Anon:** I changed next to nothing when it comes to Hestia's dialogue she is just that annoying... so while I obviously said I dislike Hestia, I have changed almost nothing about her yet... should show you how annoying she truly is lol

 **Guest:** Glad you like the story so far but adding the entire staff of the Hostess of Fertility might be a bit much lol... I might add Ryuu because she is one of my favorite characters but I can't add all those and if I'm going to add someone else from the Loki familia to the harem, it will more then likely be Tiona... would make the most sense since she loves heroes tales just like Haruhime and Bell do... even knows them just as well as they do

 **OverLordRevan:** It's funny you would complain about how bell treated Hestia in my first chapter and yet say nothing of how Hestia treats Bell throughout the entirety of the series... she treats him like she owns him and only she is capable of making decisions for him... cracks me up when people only complain about one side of a story and completely ignore the other

 **.Genn:** I do not plan to add Freya

 **ZenithTempest:** Glad you approve of the harem I initially listed but it has already changed and this is just chapter 2 lol... You'll see as I go along but there are some characters I just like better than others and I had to think of who would actually join in on something like a harem so the members have changed dramatically lol... hope you enjoy who will be coming in eventually... Ryuu is also my favorite so I'll try to see if I can work that in somewhere for you

 **Shin Hyo Joon:** I will keep updating but as mentioned before, it won't be very often... I plan on finishing my Overlord fanfic before I start updating any of my other fanfics (including this one) regularly... so, unfortunately, you'll have to deal with sporadic updates every few months until that is over but I'm glad you want to read more :-)

Now that those are done, let's get to chapter 2!

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Bell still couldn't believe he was allowing Haruhime to drag him down to the Hostess of Fertility to talk to Syr. The one thing he surprisingly wasn't worried about was telling Syr that he had feelings for her. There was no way to truly explain his change in mindset when it came to the opposite sex but he believes it happened when Ishtar tried to Charm him.

It was like something had snapped inside of Bell and he was able to open his eyes to more possibilities when it came to the women in his life. Bell wasn't sure if it was some spell Ishtar had cast on him or her attempts at Charming him had just awoken something in him, but he didn't feel nervous, anxious, embarrassment, or any of the other things he used to feel when women would get close to him.

He felt like a man now, not a little boy, and it was truly liberating. Flirting with Aisha outside of the Hearth Manor was the final confirmation he needed to realize this wasn't going to wear off. Seeing the reaction of that incredibly beautiful Amazon when he was teasing her was certainly a supreme confidence builder.

Syr, he was not worried about, but he was worried about just about every other employee at the Hostess of Fertility. He learned a while ago that Ryuu was not to be trifled with, and it seemed Chloe, Anya, and Lunoire could handle themselves as well. That isn't even mentioning that everyone in Orario knew that you did not want to be on Mama Mia's bad side. That woman was downright terrifying.

There was one thing that was keeping his worry about that down, and she was currently holding his hand in a vice grip leading him to his probable doom. He knew at least if he got a good beating that Haruhime would be around to make sure he recovered. Her kindness and compassion alone were like a healing potion. He knew if this went bad she would feel responsible and nurse him back to health.

Although it was rather late, and the Hostess of Fertility would be closing in about an hour, Bell squeezed Haruhime's hand and tugged on it a bit to slow her down. She seemed determined to get there before they closed but they lived fairly close to it so there really wasn't any rush. Also, it would be a bit before they could even talk to Syr unless the place was dead. That was very unlikely however as the Hostess of Fertility always seemed to be packed.

"Haruhime..." Bell says.

"Yes, Bell?" she asks as she turns around.

"It's ok, you don't have to rush so much." he chuckles a bit at that. "We live fairly close to the Hostess of Fertility and they won't be closed if we simply enjoy the walk." he tells her.

"I'm sorry, it's just..." Haruhime trails off trying to find the best words to explain but Bell beats her to it.

"That you are determined to prove something to me?" Haruhime looks at Bell and just nods. Those did seem like the best words to use right now. "You know, you don't have to prove anything to me, right?" she nods her head again.

Bell can tell she is either nervous or trying to sike herself up to do what she came to do. He still thought it was unnecessary, but would follow her if she was truly determined to do this. She did seem at least a little nervous too.

He wasn't quite sure what she was nervous about, but he knew how to at least relax her a little. He tugged on her arm again but hard enough to draw her back into him. He wrapped his arm, not holding her hand, around her back as she collided with his chest, and slowly bent down to kiss her.

It wasn't as if Bell had any experience kissing anyone else but every time he kissed Haruhime, it felt like he was on fire. Every kiss couldn't feel like this or people wouldn't stop doing it. He could also feel Haruhime relax into it and some of her nervous energy leave her.

Once she truly relaxed, he broke the kiss and they simply stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. It seemed to Bell that she was much more relax now and didn't look nearly as tense. So before they continued Bell asked her...

"Do you feel better now?" The smile on Bell's face was making Haruhime smile even wider then he was.

"I feel much better but..." Haruhime trails off while she brings her fingers up to her lips.

"But what?" Bell asks. Now he was wondering if she didn't feel the same things he did when they kissed.

"The warmth I get when we kiss is fading so I think I nee-" Haruhime doesn't get to finish before Bell kisses her again.

Knowing that she got the same feeling he did when they kissed made him instinctually kiss her again. He let go of her hand, wrapped his arms around her waist, picked her up, and spun her once while their lips were still locked.

Haruhime couldn't help but giggle and wrap her arms around Bell's neck like a girl in love when he spun her with their lips locked. This seemed like a moment out of one of her stories to her. She never thought she would get to live one of them. When Bell finally set her back down and they stared at each other once again, she couldn't help but admire him once more.

"You're amazing Bell..." she couldn't even stop herself from slightly blushing.

"I'm nothing special, I'm just..."

"Bell. You're just Bell." Haruhime finishes for him. "And you are amazing. I'll get you to see it one day." Haruhime says as she smiles at her hero.

Bell thought maybe one day he would believe that, but right now, he wasn't nearly strong enough to be amazing. He had gotten so caught up in Haruhime and he didn't notice the other people on the street until he was going to suggest they head towards the Hostess of Fertility.

Now that he finally looked around him, everyone on the street was staring at both of them. Some of them looked like they wanted to tell them to get a room, but the majority of them looked kind of jealous. He could imagine why.

Haruhime's beauty could only be compared to the Goddesses of this world. Any man not being the one kissing her would more than likely be jealous of the one who was. He took her hand again, intertwined their fingers, and started making his way back towards the Hostess of Fertility. They didn't have very far to go now.

It only took a few more minutes to make it to the front door of the Hostess of Fertility, and just like Bell imagined, it was packed. They were only open for about another hour but it didn't look like there was very much room left to sit.

They both entered the Hostess of Fertility and waited for one of the staff to come to seat them. As fate would have it, it was Syr who showed up to greet both of them. She looked as beautiful as she always did with her trademark smile on her lips as she greeted Bell.

"Hey, Bell and..." Syr trailed off for two reasons.

First, she had no idea who this girl was. She had known Bell for a few months now and had never seen this girl before. Secondly, she noticed them holding hands with their fingers intertwined. She couldn't even stop herself from staring at their hands and they both noticed that.

"This is Haruhime. She is the newest member of the Hestia familia. Haruhime, this is Syr." Bell introduces them to each other.

Haruhime could get a sense of why Bell would have feelings for Syr. With her silver hair and silver eyes, she was certainly beautiful. From what little Bell told her of Syr, she was also very kind too.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Syr. As Bell said, I am Haruhime, the newest member of the Hestia familia." Haruhime introduces herself to Syr. Syr finally tore her eyes away from their hands to greet her as well.

"Nice to meet you as well. Would you follow me to your seats please?" Syr says

"Do you think you could seat us in the area you are working tonight Syr?" Haruhime asks

"Why would you want to sit where I am working?!" Syr answers a little more forceful than she meant to.

"I was just hoping to have a talk with you that is all." Haruhime says to her

"Sorry, it's just been a long day. I'm sorry but I have to seat patrons in the order they come in as to not show favoritism and give everyone the chance to make money. So with that being said, I'll need to seat you in Chloe's section." Syr tells them a lot calmer now.

"We understand Syr, it's alright. We don't want to interrupt your work." Bell tells her as Syr leads them to a table.

"Would you have time later to speak with us Syr?" Haruhime asks her.

"If you can stick around until after we close, I should be able to spare a few minutes. How does that sound?" Syr asks Haruhime.

"That's great!" Haruhime says a little too excited for Syr's liking.

"Well, enjoy your stay at the Hostess of Fertility and I'll see you two later." Syr says as she leaves the table when Chloe comes to take their order.

Bell and Haruhime ordered some drinks and a small plate of food to share between themselves since neither normally ate this late. They seemed to forget the world around them when Chloe left to put in their order and once again when she set their food down in front of them.

The whole time in between, they were solely focused on each other. They talked more of their favorite stories, a little about their childhoods, and even some about their time so far in Orario. They never once noticed the looks from the other patrons and staff who were eyeing them from time to time.

Everyone noticed the two in their own little bubble in the middle of this rowdy tavern. There was rarely a moment the two weren't touching in some fashion. They were both oblivious to all this though and before they knew it, it was closing time for the Hostess of Fertility.

They both made their way out the front door then went around to the back to wait on Syr as she told them to.

"Are you nervous?" Haruhime asks Bell

"No, not at all. I'm surprisingly calm. I'm sure I have you to thank for that." Bell smiles at her

Before Haruhime can respond to that, the back door opens and out comes Syr. That was surprisingly fast. Bell and Haruhime figured they would at least have to wait a while for her to clean up a bit before she could talk. She marches straight out the door and stops just before Haruhime.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Syr asks her. It seemed she just wanted to get this over with.

"I-I think it would be better if we talked after you talked with Bell, Syr." Haruhime tells her.

Syr turns away from Haruhime and towards Bell leaning against the building. Bell swallows the sudden lump in his throat as Syr looks at him. He wasn't nervous a second ago but the look in Syr's eyes was making him uncomfortable. He wasn't sure if she was annoyed, angry, irritated, or what but it didn't look like she was happy.

"Well I... I'm not really sure how to go about this so I'll just come out and say it... I like you Syr. As more than just a friend and I... wanted to know if you felt the same." Bell tells Syr.

"You would say something like that in front of your girlfriend?!" Syr sounded awfully upset.

"We haven't actually talked about th-" Before Bell can finish, Haruhime interrupts him.

"I'M WILLING TO SHARE BELL!" Haruhime realizes she was yelling and says a little softer. "If you are willing to also."

"You are willing to share him even though you had him first?" Syr looks right at Haruhime as she asks her. The renart just nods her head rapidly at Syr.

"I know how insane this might sound, but it was her idea. I'm willing to give it a try if you are." Bell tells Syr.

"Oh Bell..." Syr's emotions change in an instant and it looks as if she is about to cry. "I... I feel the same about you, and I would love to but..."

"But what?" Bell asks

"It's because of me isn't it?" Haruhime says dejected now.

"No, it's not you Haruhime. I just... can't."

 _'She would never allow it.'_ Syr thinks after she tries to let Haruhime know it had nothing to do with her.

"If you feel the same, why can't you Syr?" Bell asks as he gets closer to her.

Syr doesn't answer him. She takes a step back and surprises both of them by pulling Haruhime into a tight hug. She whispers something into Haruhime's ear that Bell can't hear even with his higher stats.

"Thank you. At least I know he feels the same. Don't let him go Haruhime." Syr whispers to her then steps away.

She looks right at Bell and can't help herself. She needed something to remember this by and she kisses Bell out of nowhere. Bell gets the same feeling from Syr that he does from Haruhime's kisses, but before he can truly enjoy it, Syr steps back.

"I'm sorry Bell." Syr says on the verge of tears and runs towards the door back inside. Tears threatening to spill out of her eyes at any moment.

"Syr wait..." Bell says but she is already gone.

Bell just hangs his head wondering what she meant. How could she want to but still say no? It didn't make sense to him. Haruhime just walks up and hugs him to try to comfort him a little. She is also confused by Syr's words but there isn't much she can do about it.

"Mr. Cranel, did you make Syr cry?" A voice suddenly interrupts them. Bell turns to see Ryuu standing there looking at him.

"No, I... maybe? I'm so confused right now." he tells Ryuu then relays the conversation the three of them just had.

"I see. Perhaps she just needs some time." Ryuu says to him

"Maybe..." Bell replies

"Do you plan on doing this to everyone you believe you have feelings for?" Ryuu asks him

"Well no, not really. Not many others have shown any interest in me, in that way." Bell replies.

"Maybe you should rethink that then? Perhaps not everyone is good at showing how they feel? You may be surprised." Ryuu tells him.

"What do you mean by that?" Bell asks

"Just think about it. Goodnight Mr. Cranel, Ms. Haruhime." Ryuu says, gives a bow, and walks back inside herself. Haruhime walks up and grabs Bell's hand while he watches Ryuu walk back inside.

"Come on, Bell. Let's go home." she says to him.

He just nods his head and walks back to the manor with Haruhime. The trip back is quiet but right before they go in the front door, Bell stops Haruhime.

"You know, we never actually discussed what we are to each other. We know how each other feels but didn't make anything official. So Haruhime... would you give me the honor of being my girlfriend?" Bell says to her.

"The honor would be mine, Bell." Haruhime says starting to tear up again.

They share another kiss and quietly head inside. Bell walks Haruhime to her room and gives her another quick kiss before they depart for the night. Right before Haruhime is about to go into her room she hears Bell call out to her.

"Haruhime..." she turns and looks at Bell. "You are amazing too, and one day, I'll make you see it as well." he tells her with a smile before disappearing into his room.

Haruhime can't help the full-faced, radiant smile that spreads across her face as she watches Bell disappear into his room. She has never been happier in her life, and she was going to do all she could to listen to what Syr said. She wouldn't let him go for anything. She did want him all to herself but she would gladly share him if it would make him happy.

Haruhime fell asleep quickly that night with a smile on her face. Bell on the other hand, tossed and turned all night. He couldn't stop going over what Syr and Ryuu had said to him outside of the Hostess of Fertility.

Perhaps he should just tell everyone as Ryuu said. The worst that could happen was they say no he supposed. It would make the future clearer to him. He certainly wasn't just going to go on a confession spree but there would be moments to tell each of them he knew. He just needed to wait for the right moment.

On the other hand, he thought of Haruhime. He wasn't lying when he said she was amazing. Why couldn't he just have her all to himself? He wasn't even sure he could make one girl happy let alone two or more. Perhaps Haruhime was all Bell really needed. After a long while of contemplating these questions, Bell finally fell asleep still confused as to what he should do.

The next morning it was Bell's nose that woke him up. Normally, he would be awake before anyone else but he had a long night last night and seemed to have slept in a bit. The smell of cooking bacon could wake a dead man though so Bell pulled himself out of bed and got ready to head downstairs.

Mikoto had gotten a decent night's sleep last night. When she awoke, she was ready to get her day started, but it seemed someone else had gotten a much better sleep than she had. When she walked into the kitchen to start breakfast, since it was her and Haruhime's day to do it, she saw Haruhime already at work cooking breakfast.

To Mikoto, it looked as if Haruhime had gotten the greatest night of sleep in her life. She saw none of the defeat, exhaustion, or shame that seemed to accompany Haruhime's overall demeanor since she first saw her again after all those years.

Haruhime was practically skipping around the kitchen, smile plastered on her face, and she was humming a tune to herself lost in her own little world. Mikoto didn't want to break the obvious good mood Haruhime was in so she started helping Haruhime without saying a word.

Mikoto hadn't been at it long when the next person came into the kitchen. She saw Bell enter the kitchen and he didn't look like he had gotten such a good sleep as she and Haruhime did. He didn't look exhausted but he didn't look rested either.

"Good morning, Bell." Mikoto says to him.

"Morning, Mikoto." Bell replies and waves.

Mikoto watches Haruhime's head snap around the moment she hears Bell's voice. The smile on her face grows even wider and Mikoto knows that she got it bad. She was a little worried about her friend.

She wasn't sure Bell would get the hint or act on it. He was oblivious to most of the women around him who held affections for him. So when Bell walked up to her with just as wide a grin, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and kissed her on the forehead. Mikoto's jaw dropped open and she couldn't close it.

"Morning, Haruhime. Do you need any help?" Bell asks her. He is completely oblivious to the look of utter disbelief Mikoto is displaying right now.

"It's almost done. You can just go have a seat and it will be out soon Bell." Haruhime says to him.

She also doesn't notice Mikoto but Mikoto sees her reaction. She somehow has an even wider grin and a look of nothing but love in her eyes. When he bends down and kisses her on the lips, she almost yelps in disbelief. It may have been a very quick, innocent kiss, but it caught her even more off guard than she already was.

"Ok, just yell if you need something." Bell tells Haruhime as if what he just did was normal and turns to go wait at the table. He notices the look on Mikoto's face but before he could ask what it was for, he was interrupted.

"BELL! W-W-WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?!" Hestia yells

"Lili wants to know what Lili just saw, Master Bell!" Lili says forcefully but not loud like Hestia.

"Alright Bell, it's about time!" Welf says and gives him a thumbs up. That little gesture earns him some looks from Hestia and Lili.

"I was just saying good morning to my girlfriend, Goddess, Lili. Why?" Bell says to both of them.

"G-G-G-Girlf-f-f-friend?!" they both stutter out.

"Yes, girlfriend." Bell replies confused at their behavior.

"Lili wants to know when this happened, Master Bell?!" Lili says to him since Hestia is still too stunned to say anything. Haruhime has her head down trying to will her cheeks to stop blushing and widening into a bigger smile. Mikoto still hasn't shut her jaw and Welf is just grinning like an idiot.

"Last night I couldn't sleep and I ran into Haruhime in the garden because she couldn't sleep either. We started talking, decided to go to the Hostess of Fertility, and share some food while we talked some more. Afterward, we walked home, I asked her to be my girlfriend, she said yes, and we went to sleep. Now I'm here explaining all of that to you." Bell says then shrugs at the end. He didn't see what the big deal was.

"Seems like you had a much more productive evening then any of us did." Welf says and grins at him again.

Bell just returns the grin and nods to Welf. At least someone wasn't giving him a hard time about this and seemed happy about it. Hestia and Lili still have no idea what to say before Haruhime says...

"Well, breakfast is ready. Would anyone like some?"

"Yes, I'm starving." Bell says.

"Smells delicious. I'll go wait at the table." Welf says.

Everyone else just nods their heads and quietly makes their way to the table. Hestia, Lili, and Mikoto were all thinking different things but we're all doing it so hard it was robbing them of their speech at the moment.

Haruhime quickly serves everyone breakfast and sits down next to Bell to start eating hers. Herself, Bell, and Welf dig in while Hestia, Lili, and Mikoto robotically take bites while staring at their plates in contemplation. It wasn't long before Haruhime, Bell, and Welf were done before everyone else and started to clean up.

"Hey, Haruhime..." Bell says while helping with the dishes. "Would you want to train with me? I know you are going to be a supporter but I'd feel better if you could defend yourself a little better."

"That is probably a good idea Bell, but I'm not very good at things like that." Haruhime tells him.

"I just want you to learn the basics to start. I promise I'll be patient with you. Maybe we could include Mikoto in some of it if she is willing. She might be able to teach you how to throw knives, dagger, and shurikens as she can. Maybe you will be better at something like that?" Bell replies

"We can start this afternoon if you like. I just need to get my chores done." she says with a smile.

"I'll help you so we can get started sooner." Bell says to her

"N-N-No you can't do that! Everyone welcomed me so much, I need to do my part around here too!" Haruhime practically yells at him.

"You will be going in the dungeon just like everyone else. There is no reason for you to have to do more work than everyone else. Let me help you Haruhime. I want to, it isn't a problem." Bell tells her

"You're not going to let this go are you..." Bell just shakes his head at her. "Very well Mr. Amazing. You can help me and we can start earlier." Haruhime sighs at this wonderful boy and gets on her toes to steal a kiss from him.

Neither one of them sees every person in the Hestia Familia not named Bell and Haruhime looking around the door frame into the kitchen. Some look angry, some look happy, some looked confused, and some look downright murderous. Neither notices from their happy little bubble and they finish the dishes before Bell helps her with the chores so he can train her a bit.

They keep up this routine for a few days. Bell delayed their return to the dungeon so he and Mikoto could give a little more training to Haruhime. All the while, Hestia and Lili see how serious this is getting between Bell and Haruhime. They both decide on their own that they need to do something or this isn't going to end well for either one of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So there is Chapter 2... I'm seriously considering making this a Bell X Haruhime fanfic with no harem at all... It's hard for me to let my favorite girl in all of DanMachi share what should be hers in the LNs lol... Not saying that is what I'm going to do but I am considering it... Let me know what everyone thinks about that and I'll see you next chapter!


	3. The Foxy Warrior & Green-Eyed Guild Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

"Talking"

 _'Thinking'_

 ***SPELL/ABILITY***

 **A/N:** So I finally got to see Arrow Of Orion... I liked it, now I'm thinking I should work it into my fanfic... I know I'm well past the storyline part when it normally happens but oh well, its a fanfic, I can do what I want lol... Since I'll be changing the outcome it wouldn't matter when it took place so here's my question for all of you... how many of you would hate my guts if I killed Hestia and had Artemis take her place? Oh and not only as his Goddess but also as part of the harem? Everyone cool with that or am I going to be receiving death threats soon? lmao... let me know what you think.

 **dark-feel:** I am tempted to just keep it the OTP but can't say for certain I will... I like your jealousy idea though... I might work that in a few times throughout the story

 **rmarcano321:** glad you like it... not sure how many chapters... If I keep it short about twenty is my guess... If I decide on making it a longer one probably 35-40.

 **Guests:** seems you both want the harem idea to stick lol... can't promise it will but I am leaning that way... the only person I'm certain will be in it at this point is Haruhime... I think I know who I want in it but things can always change.

 **ElMagoMagico2:** this is just a fanfic for me to purge my mind of Overlord so I don't burn myself out... that is why the summary says very slow updates... once I finish that, I plan on devoting my time to this one but until then... you'll be getting updates for this fanfic sporadically every few months

 **kratos1991:** As I said above, the harem I have listed in summary has already changed so I'm not sure who is going to be in it other than Haruhime... I understand about Hestia and Lili, I think they are annoying too but disagree about Eina... probably comes from my love for elves playing D&D so much lol... hope you like whatever I decide whether that be Bell X Haruhime only or the harem route

 **ISeeImprovement:** I have been using Grammarly to help with my grammatical errors as well as punctuation, etc... It has been immensely helpful and I'm sure if I used the paid version it would catch all the little things that slip past the free version... I tend to do the past/present tense thing in all my stories for some reason... I guess I'm trying to let people see that someone was thinking something (past) when I narrate and what they are thinking (present) in the dialogue... some people have told me they like it, some like yourself, have told me it throws them off a bit... I'll try to clean it up a bit but I won't lie... I might be an American but my English is complete shit lol... I'll see about leaving out so many he says, he replies, he responds, etc... I might just add them when there are more than two people... that would probably balance it out well... As you will see in this chapter, I tried a little different route at some points trying not to say, he says, he replies, etc by making the last sentence of the narration say who was speaking... if everyone likes that more, I could always just do it that way for a good portion of the story... it won't always be applicable but I could probably use that method a good portion of the time

 **Anon:** I'd love to write two different fanfics for this... one of Bell X Haruhime only and one that is a harem but I just don't have the time... I'm still too focused on my Overlord fanfic to be able to dedicate that kind of time to two other fanfics... and I haven't even mentioned my Familiar of Zero fanfic that I haven't updated in a long time or the five different ideas I have for Game of Thrones fanfics, did I mention Death March? that's the one I want to write the most... I'll never get any of them done if I don't focus on one at a time... maybe I'll write the other one once I finish with Overlord and this one

Next chapter time!

* * *

It had been a week since Bell and Mikoto had started training Haruhime, and she was progressing rather well. She seemed to do well with a ninjato and shurikens so that is what they focused on. The ninjato idea came from Mikoto, she figured that since Haruhime was from the east as she was, she might be more comfortable with a weapon from there. It proved to be true when she learned it faster than the dagger.

Haruhime was too petite to use something like a longsword being barely over five feet tall. They didn't even attempt anything over a short sword. When Mikoto handed Haruhime her ninjato, from her weapons, it seemed a natural fit for her. It being slightly smaller than a shortsword and barely weighing more than a dagger.

It seemed she took to shurikens more than darts or knives for throwing also. Once they had found this out, Welf went to work in the forge making her a ninjato and several shurikens plus a sheathe and holder for her respective weapons.

They also needed to alter her wardrobe a bit for when they went to the dungeon since her longer kimono wasn't the ideal attire to wear while fighting. She still stuck with the kimono but her attire more resembled Mikoto's instead of the one she wore previously. Well, it would when it was completed and delivered to the manor.

Yesterday, they had tried out Haruhime's new magic, Kokonoe. She had learned it from the book Aisha gave her. It wasn't a new spell per se more of a magic boosting spell. It allowed Haruhime to create more tails and increase her magic. She was able to use Uchide no Kozuchi on both Bell and Mikoto simultaneously.

It had almost put her in mind down so it wasn't something they wanted to use unless it was absolutely necessary, but being able to level boost two people at once could certainly come in handy. Once her magic was high enough, she should be able to create up to nine tails and effect three or four people with her magic potentially.

Today they were going to the dungeon. It was the first time since the Ishtar Familia incident that Bell would be in the dungeon. The whole familia wasn't going today though, only Bell and Haruhime. Bell wanted to give everyone one more day of rest, especially Welf and Mikoto. Their short vacation wasn't really a vacation at all since they had been working most of the time.

Mikoto had been helping Bell train Haruhime every day so she certainly deserved one day to do whatever she wished. Bell had a very good suspicion that she would be spending most of the day in the bath they built for her in the manor.

Welf, on the other hand, needed a day off. Bell always felt bad for Welf when it came to personal time because his real job started when they were out of the dungeon. Welf spent more time in the forge working than all of them spent in the dungeon combined pretty much. He had been working nonstop on Haruhime's new weapons, and the two new cloaks for Haruhime and Lili.

This is why Bell found himself outside of Haruhime's room waiting for her to get ready to head to the dungeon. Her new wardrobe for the dungeon was delivered last night, and no one had seen her in it yet. Bell was going to be the supporter today since they were only going into the first few floors of the dungeon.

Bell wanted Haruhime to fight some actual monsters instead of just sparring with himself and Mikoto. If they stuck to the first few floors, she would be fine in Bell's estimation. She was level 2 so the monsters shouldn't give her much of a problem while still giving her valuable experience since she had none fighting monsters. She was going to be a supporter, not a frontliner, but it was better if she could at least defend herself a little.

The door to Haruhime's room opened and Bell bent down to pick up the backpack so they could head out. When he had it on his shoulder and looked to the doorway, his jaw dropped along with the backpack and his eyes went wide.

Haruhime stood in the doorway, her long blonde hair flowing down her back. She had on a red kimono as she normally did but it was not flowing to the floor as normal. No, this one stopped mid-thigh on Haruhime just a little longer than the one Mikoto wore. Instead of the thick, black belt with a bow to hold it in place, there was a white, silk sash tied around her waist.

The sleeves went down almost to her wrists like her other one, and they concealed most of the elbow-length, armored gloves she wore. Only the white plates on the back of her hands and white gloves underneath them were exposed.

Haruhime had her ninjato on her left hip like Mikoto kept her katana. Normally a ninjato would be placed in the small of her back but it would be inaccessible like that when she was wearing a backpack so it was on her hip. The two holders with the shurikens inside of them were also on her hip. One of them on each side so she could grab them with her left or right hand.

Instead of the sandals Haruhime normally wore, she had on white leather boots that went all the way up to mid-thigh and had a small heel in the back. They stopped where the kimono ended so there was very little of Haruhime showing. Bell couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked like some warrior goddess from Bell's dreams. Haruhime noticed Bell's stares and couldn't help but blush a dark crimson before she asked...

"W-What do you think?"

His intense gaze made her stumble on her words a bit at the beginning. Bell still hadn't moved and it seemed for a moment that he didn't even hear her. It only lasts a moment though before Bell said...

"I have no idea how I got so lucky to have you as my girlfriend. You look stunning! Like a warrior goddess from the stories!"

Haruhime just sighed in relief. She was honestly a little worried about wearing this outfit. It was a little shorter than she would have liked even if it was longer than Mikoto's. Seeing Bell's reaction and hearing his words made all that worry vanish in an instant. Now, she felt much more confident in this outfit.

"So you like it then?" Haruhime asks as she gives Bell a twirl in her new outfit and a giggle escapes her lips as she does it.

Bell wanted to answer but when she twirled and giggled, it was so damn cute he lost all speech for a moment. He just gulped down the sudden lump in his throat and nodded at Haruhime. Haruhime just beamed her radiant smile, took Bell's hand, and started making her way downstairs. Bell was so entranced he nearly forgot to pick up the backpack he dropped.

It seemed a fox was exactly what was needed to catch a rabbit.

As they made their way down the steps, the rest of the familia was at the bottom awaiting their departure. All of them there for different reasons, and you could tell by the reactions when they laid eyes on Haruhime.

"Wow, looking good Haruhime!" Welf says as he gives her the thumbs up.

"Like a true eastern warrior, Haruhime." Mikoto says to her and gives a slight bow.

Lili looks somewhat sad from the face she is giving. Hestia looks angry or embarrassed or sick. No one can really tell but she is turning a very dark shade of red pretty much all over her body.

"Thanks, everyone." Haruhime says to everyone.

"Well, we are off. See everyone for dinner!" Bell says as he and Haruhime head out of the manor and towards Babel.

Bell was filling her in on the type of monsters she would likely encounter on the first few floors as they walked towards the dungeon. The Hestia Familia manor wasn't very far from the dungeon so it wouldn't take long to get there.

They weren't far into their walk when they turned on one of the main roads towards the dungeon. Only a few hundred feet down this road, they were about to walk past the Hostess of Fertility. When they got near the building, they both heard someone yell...

"BELL, HARUHIME!"

They both turned towards the building and saw Syr standing out front. She was holding a package out in front of her and Bell knew what it likely was. He was a little confused as to why she would still make him lunch, but Haruhime pulled him towards Syr before he could even think of a reason.

"Good morning, Syr." Haruhime says to her.

"Are you two headed to the dungeon today?" Syr asks

"We are." Bell answers. His short answer puts a small frown on Syr's face but she continues on.

"I made lunch for you. That is... if you don't mind still taking it?" Syr says much more timid than she normally is. Haruhime sees Bell hesitate for a moment and answers for him...

"I'm sure it's delicious and I'll make sure Bell eats it, Syr." she takes the package from her.

"I made it for both of you. I hope you like it." Syr says right after Haruhime takes it and she hurries inside the building before either can respond.

Bell and Haruhime stare at the building for a moment processing what Syr said. They wondered why she made lunch for both of them but were grateful anyways. Haruhime was first to move and tugged Bell along towards the dungeon. She was eager to test herself against monsters after learning from Bell and Mikoto.

 **The Guild, Pantheon building, Orario...**

Today had been much like the last five years Eina Tulle worked at the guild. She helped adventurers with any information they needed, congratulated one on a level up, and showcased her friendly personality to anyone stepping foot inside the Guild.

The Guild reception desk was usually the first place anyone who stepped foot inside this building went to, as such, each receptionist was not only friendly but very easy on the eyes. The reception desk was the one employee of the Guild where looks played an enormous part in whether someone would get the position or not.

Eina had shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes, but what no doubt got her the appearance approval for this job was her elven heritage. Eina was a half-elf. Her human and elven ancestries blended well together and she was certainly a beauty. Not that she really viewed herself that way but she didn't believe she was ugly.

Everyone who worked in reception from the pink-haired, pink-eyed, human Misha Flott to the red-haired, blue-eyed, werewolf Rose Fannett were beautiful in their own way. For the last two days though, Eina has been wishing it wasn't true.

She had run into two adventurers she used to advise for. Dormul, a level 3 dwarf and Luvis, a level 3 elf. She had found them new advisors when she realized they had developed feelings for her. It wasn't that Eina was against a relationship but she did not return their feelings.

Being the kind of person Eina was, she tried to let them down gently and chose her words carefully. That all seemed to backfire on Eina as neither of them had gotten the hint. That is when she found them new advisors but they still didn't stop the pursuit of Eina.

When she had another awkward encounter with both of them, while Misha was present, over a bouquet of flowers, she excused herself while they were arguing with each other. Ever since that day, it has felt like someone was watching her while she was walking home from work.

That is why Eina was currently putting off going home. It was getting close to dinner time and she would normally have been home by now. She couldn't wait too late or the streets would be deserted and it would make it even more uncomfortable to walk home alone.

Eina even contemplated getting a bodyguard for a while as Misha suggested. She had no idea how much something like that would cost and it also sounded a little ridiculous. She wasn't even sure anyone was following her or watching her on her way home. It was just a feeling she was getting.

She decided she couldn't put this off any longer and put away the last of her paperwork to head home. Once she stepped out of the guild, she looked down the road that would take her home. It never seemed ominous to her but it did now. The tension in her body was visible so she let out a loud sigh, and steeled herself for the walk home.

Before she could take one step, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she almost jumps out of her skin. She spun around quickly as she yelped in surprise only to see a confused looking Bell and a blonde, fox girl standing just behind her.

"Are you alright Eina?" Bell asked her. The concern in his voice was touching to Eina.

"Y-Y-Yes Bell. You just scared me is all." Eina replies. She can tell Bell didn't buy that.

"Are you sure Eina? You are usually so upbeat and happy. I don't think I've ever seen you this tense before." he says to her.

"It's..."

 _'I could ask Bell to be my bodyguard as Misha suggested.'_ she shakes her head of those thoughts.

She couldn't ask Bell to do something like that. He had plenty going on already.

"It's nothing Bell. Thank you for asking though." she says and finally turns to look at the fox girl.

The girl was beautiful and dressed like Bell's familia member Mikoto. She doesn't remember this girl being in the Hestia Familia but she does remember Bell asking about a Renart a few weeks ago. She wondered if this was the one he had been asking about. Bell seemed to notice her stare and introduced them.

"Sorry, where are my manners. Haruhime, this is Eina, my advisor. Eina, this is Haruhime. She is the newest member of the Hestia Familia." Bell tells her as he motions his hand towards Haruhime.

"It is very nice to finally meet you, Ms. Eina. Bell has told me a lot about you. I wanted to thank you for teaching Bell about the dungeon so he can make his way back safely every day." Haruhime says to her and gives a bow.

Eina could tell the girl was being sincere. When she bowed, that is when Eina noticed that Bell and Haruhime were holding hands. She got a sudden feeling out of nowhere that made her brow twitch.

 _'Was that anger I just felt? No, it couldn't be. Why would I be angry Bell is holding hands with another girl?'_ Eina wonders to herself.

"It's nice to meet you too, Haruhime." Eina says but it doesn't come out friendly like Eina is with everyone else.

"Eina, are you sure you are alright?" Bell doesn't think she is

"Yes, I'm sorry. It has just been a long day. I apologize for taking it out on you, Haruhime." Eina says to the Renart.

"It's alright Eina."

"Well... I should probably head home. Take care you two." Eina says then turns to leave, but before she can go.

"Hey Eina..." she turns back around at the sound of Bell's voice. "You know you can tell me if something is wrong, right?"

"Of course, Bell. I assure you I'm-" before she can finish, Haruhime interrupts her.

"I can go if you don't want to talk about in front of me. I know you don't know me so it might be easier to just talk with Bell."

Eina is honestly touched that this girl would think of something like that. It finally broke her last attempts at not asking for help and she answered the Renart.

"Fine, I'll tell you, but you don't have to go anywhere Haruhime. I'm not sure anything really is wrong which is why I didn't want to burden you with my problems."

"Bell's a very good listener, Eina. Tell us what is troubling you?"

Haruhime's caring and concerned voice even touched Bell's heart. He couldn't help but smile as she gave Eina her full attention. He had no idea what he did to deserve such a wonderful person. Every day she seemed to do something that made him love her more.

 _'Wait. Did I just say love? Isn't it too fast for something like that?'_ he just shakes his head of those thoughts and pays attention to Eina's story.

And so, Eina told Bell and Haruhime about the last two days. How she felt someone always watching her on her walks home, the fact it was the first time she hadn't felt safe in Orario, and her only clue it might be true when she saw the hooded figure and he seemed to be staring at her.

Bell looked to be soaking in all the information as she told her story. Haruhime, on the other hand, looked more horrified the longer her tale lasted. When Eina had finally finished, she could help but say...

"That's terrible Eina. Why haven't you told someone sooner? You could have been hurt or worse!"

It seemed Bell felt very similar to Haruhime when he voiced his opinion.

"You are always telling me to be careful so I come back from the dungeon. You should have taken your own advice and talked to someone as soon as this happened. You can always talk to me Eina, I'll help you any way I can."

"Thank you, both of you, but I'm not really sure what anyone can do about it."

"I know exactly what Bell can do!" Haruhime almost jumped for joy at her clever idea. "Bell here can escort you home from work after we get out of the dungeon. He would be the perfect bodyguard!"

 _'Did she just say bodyguard?'_ Eina thinks as she looks at Bell to see his reaction to her idea.

"I'd be happy to walk you home if that is alright with you Eina."

"I don't want to be a burden on you Bell."

Eina tried to not let the small flicker of hope she felt show in her words to Bell. She really didn't want to be a burden, but maybe if he walked with her, he could get a better sense if it was true or not.

"It's no trouble at all, Eina. I'm glad I can finally pay you back a little after all you have done for me."

The smile on Bell's face made Eina smile as well. The moment was interrupted by Haruhime.

"Good, I'll head home to start dinner and it should be done by the time you get back from taking Eina home."

"Haruhime, I'm not going to let you walk home alone if some creep is stalking Eina. Do you mind if Haruhime joins us today Eina?"

"That's alright with me, Bell."

"I'll be fine Bell. The manor isn't even far from here. Just escort Eina home, nothing will happen to me. It's my turn to cook dinner anyway and I need to head home now to start it."

"Haruhime. I won't let you walk home alone. Do you think no one is looking at you? Take a quick look around and tell me how many people you see staring at you."

After Bell said that, Haruhime took a quick look around trying not to be too obvious. She tried to take in her surroundings as best and possible. She did a quick count and was confident in her number as she told Bell...

"Three people are staring at me."

Haruhime couldn't help but get a smug smile on her face knowing that she finally got one over on Bell. What she didn't expect was for Bell to suddenly hug her and burst out laughing. She had no idea what was so funny. Bell just strokes her cheek as he says...

"Such a sweet girl." he chuckles again. "Twelve people are watching you, Haruhime. I can feel their gazes. You only saw the three who did not attempt hiding it."

"Well, even so." Haruhime basically hmrphs from her actions. She crosses her arms over her chest and slumps her shoulders. "They don't feel hostile so I'll be fine."

It seemed Haruhime wasn't budging from heading home. Before Bell can tell her they can drop her off first, someone else joins the conversation.

"I'll make sure she gets home in one piece, Bell Cranel."

Bell, Haruhime, and Eina all turn to the sound of the sultry voice. When they see who it is, Haruhime and Bell both yell...

"Aisha!"

While Bell just enthusiastically greeted her with a wave, Haruhime ran the few feet between them and hugged her. It seemed the Amazonian didn't mind as she returned it.

"I'll make sure the lil tyke gets home safe, Bell Cranel."

"I don't want to burden you, Aisha. We can walk Haruhime home first before I take Eina home."

"Nonsense, besides, I _really_ need to talk to Haruhime about some things. This will be the perfect opportunity. You go on and take that cute half-elf home. I'll take care of Haruhime."

Eina turned a dark shade of crimson at Aisha's words. Bell, on the other hand, didn't really react at all. He thought Eina was more than just cute but no need to voice that. She only saw him as a little brother to her, nothing more.

"If it's ok with you Aisha then thank you." Bell gives a slight bow to Aisha and heads over to Haruhime. He gives her a quick kiss which stuns both Eina and Aisha. "I'll see you at home."

"Oh, you are coming with me now, little fox! We got plenty of things to talk about." Aisha says to Haruhime as she starts to drag her away. Haruhime didn't even really get to say goodbye to Bell or Eina, Aisha had moved so quickly. Bell just chuckles then turns to Eina.

"Shall we?"

"Y-Y-Yes." Eina stutters as she breaks out of her stunned state. "I'll be counting on you until I get home."

"Don't worry, Eina. I'll make sure nothing happens to you." Bell tells her as they start to head off towards Eina's residence.

* * *

Aisha's mind is racing as she dragged Haruhime away from Bell and down the street. She intended to take the Renart home as she promised Bell she would, but first, she needed answers. Just a couple weeks ago, she was surprised enough that he had the composure to tease her.

Now, he was holding hands with Haruhime, and she needed to figure out what kind of relationship they had. When he kissed her on the lips before they departed, Aisha almost lost her mind.

She was chasing a scared little rabbit around the Pleasure Quarter just a couple weeks ago and now here he was, teasing her, holding hands and kissing Haruhime. What in the world has happened to this kid since she last saw him?

A part of her, a very big part of her, just couldn't help but lick her lips at the possibility of what has become of Bell. She wanted that cute little rabbit since the moment she laid eyes on him. Everyone in Orario already knew the story of the boy who was leveling faster than anyone ever thought possible for an adventurer. What better treat for an Amazon like her than the fastest growing adventurer ever in Orario?

It seemed though, that Haruhime was the one to break down whatever held the little rookie back though. As much as she wanted a piece of that rabbit, she did care for Haruhime. Haruhime seemed just as different as Bell, if not more so.

Aisha remembers the constant shame in Haruhime's eyes, her slumped posture, her emotionless stares. She sees none of that now. The girl looks to be full of life and happy beyond measure right now. All of this made her drag the Renart away as fast as possible to talk to her. It didn't take long to get out of sight of Bell and Eina since they were headed in the opposite direction. Aisha abruptly pulls Haruhime to a stop and says...

"Ok, now what was that all about?"

"What are you talking about Aisha?"

"Seeing Bell be bold enough to kiss you in the middle of the street is one thing, but seeing you happily reciprocate without any hesitation is another. What in the world happened between you two since I left you with the Hestia Familia?"

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine first."

"Well, you certainly are different, Haruhime. Go ahead and ask your question."

"Bell told me something, and I believe he is telling me the truth, but..." Haruhime hesitates for a moment. "there is a small part of me that can't help but think he told me so I wouldn't question being with him. So Aisha, please tell me, is it true that I have never laid with anyone?"

Aisha shouldn't be surprised this might be the reason Haruhime is acting differently, but she is. Perhaps she should have told her sooner, but that probably wouldn't have worked out like this.

"He told you the truth."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? You let me think that of myself for so long!"

"I didn't think you would believe me if I did tell you, and I was concerned with how you would react if you did believe me. For all I knew, you would have put forth an honest effort to be one of us if I told you I took care of your clients for you or they simply left. I didn't want you to live the life I had to because of Ishtar's charm."

"Y-Y-You did that for me?"

"Don't think anything of it. You know I only do what I want."

Aisha tries to brush the praise aside but Haruhime wasn't going to let her.

"No Aisha! You didn't have to do that. I can never truly thank you for all you have done for me."

Haruhime can't help herself and embraces Aisha once again. She had no idea the extent Aisha was going to so that she would be safe and comfortable. She wished there was some way to pay her back for all she has done.

"I know how you can start." Aisha tells Haruhime as they separate from the hug. "Tell me what in the world is going on between you and Bell. And what in the world has gotten into Bell. That is not the same rabbit we chased through the Pleasure Quarter a couple of weeks ago."

"Well..." Haruhime can't help but blush and Aisha notices that. "he is sort of my boyfriend."

"Sort of?"

"He is my boyfriend, I mean."

"So why did you say sort of?"

"Well, I did tell him I would share him with others. He makes me so happy and I don't want to take away that possibility from others. He did tell me before that he had feelings for others. He was going to wait until he figured those feelings out, but I didn't want to wait so I said that."

"So did you say that so he would ask you to be his girlfriend and now you regret it or..."

"No, I meant it! It is lovely to have him all to myself, but there is no one like him. He is the greatest man I've ever met. I would feel bad to deny others the same happiness I have if they love him as I do. Plus, I'm in the same Familia as him so it isn't like I won't get to spend the most time with him."

"That is..." Aisha searches for the right words. "very selfless of you Haruhime. I don't think I'd give up that rabbit if I got my claws into him first."

"Syr said something very similar to me."

"Syr?"

"Oh, I probably shouldn't have said that..."

"Oh no, you are going to tell me about her, lil tyke."

"Well..." Haruhime doesn't want to say anything without asking Bell first but the look in Aisha's eyes was telling her that wasn't an option. "It was the only other girl Bell confessed he had feelings for."

"So you two are sharing Bell already then?"

Aisha is kind of disappointed. She wouldn't mind sharing the little white rabbit with Haruhime, but it seemed there was someone else Bell has had his eye on for longer.

"No, she ummm, didn't accept."

"Poor Bell, how is the rabbit doing after being rejected by someone he liked?"

"Well, she didn't reject him per se. She told him she liked him too but couldn't for some reason. She said it wasn't me or the thought of sharing him but she didn't elaborate so we have no idea why. Bell didn't take it very well but he's dealing with it. I think I help a bit, I can always manage to get a smile out of him."

"That's interesting, from what I hear, there are a lot of women in this city who would love to get a piece of your boyfriend." Aisha winks and smiles at Haruhime.

"I did agree to this so it is my own doing, but at least I get to be with him too. I was actually hoping you could, ummm, help me a little bit."

"What do you need help with, lil tyke?"

"As you know, I'm not very... ummm, womanly."

"I'm sorry what? Haruhime, no one would mistake you for being anything other than a woman with a body like that." Aisha points out as she motions her hand up and down Haruhime.

"No, I mean, I am not very, ummm..." Haruhime can't seem to find the words until Aisha notices her visibly blush before saying. "I don't know how to be sexy."

Aisha can't hold it in and laughs when Haruhime says that. Haruhime doesn't take that well and grabs Aisha by the shoulders and starts shaking her.

"Don't laugh at me, Aisha! This is serious! How am I suppose to keep him interested or advance our relationship if I don't know how to seduce him or anything!"

"Don't get so worked up Haruhime. Of course, I can help you out there. I can show all kinds of things that don't look like seduction but will get Bell feeling like it is. It can be something as simple as rubbing his forearm when you place your hand there lightly so his hand opens instinctually."

"How would that help me seduce him?"

"It wouldn't seem like it would but it can. Say you lightly trace his forearm down to his palm. His hand will open naturally from the sensation and you can intertwine your fingers for a more intimate gesture. But what would happen if you did that while you were dancing with him?"

"Wouldn't I already be holding his hand if we were dancing?"

"Maybe but if it was a slow, love song, his hands would be on your waist. If you were to lightly trace that same path down his forearm, that hand would open naturally but instead of taking his hand, now he is grabbing your butt." Aisha finishes with a wink towards Haruhime who turns red.

"S-S-Should he really be doing that in front of other people?! We would be in the middle of the dance floor!"

"Of course you should want him to do that! Not only are you trying to seduce him, but it also lets everyone know that you are his. Don't you want the man you love to claim you in front of others?"

"I-I-I suppose that's true, but what if I do that too fast and he's not ready? I don't want to be pushy. He has a lot on his mind right now."

"That's why I said I can teach you. There are things you can do that won't be obvious but build his affection towards you. There are many, many..." Aisha can't help the sultry smile. "obvious things I can teach you that would please him even more."

Haruhime is beat red at this point. She knows exactly what Aisha is talking about. Well, not exactly or she wouldn't be asking Aisha. It's as exciting as it is terrifying to her. Before Haruhime can find the courage to ask Aisha for some little things to start with, Aisha continues...

"So, have you two worked out exactly how sharing him would work?"

"No, we haven't. I expected to have that talk with Syr but... well you know. I have been so happy to have him to myself, I haven't even thought about it."

"I'd like to know..." Aisha winks at Haruhime. "What happens if one of you wants to marry him? How exactly do your sleeping arrangements work? Will he spend every night alone in bed so he doesn't show favoritism? Will all of you sleep in one bed? What happens when you want to be intimate? How far does your willingness to share extend Haruhime?" Aisha knows the change in her smile from curious to aroused wouldn't go missed by Haruhime. "I know I certainly wouldn't mind a tumble in the sheets with our little white rabbit, or if you joined us. You are a sexy, little fox girl."

"Oh... I... ummm... I... don't..."

Haruhime essentially resembles an apple at this point from her neck up. She has no idea how to respond to Aisha right now. She always thought of her as her friend, and she had never said anything like that to her before. Not to mention all the other questions she asked that she never thought about.

"No need to answer, just think about it. Now..." Haruhime looks at Aisha after she heard her change of tone to somewhat serious. "I did promise Bell Cranel I'd get you home safe. Let's head toward your Familia's home and I'll show you some of the things you asked about on the way."

Haruhime just nods her head and they both head off towards the Hearth Manor.

* * *

Eina and Bell had started heading toward Eina's residence, and it seemed to be official. Bell was now her bodyguard for the foreseeable future. Eina wasn't sure how long this would need to last but she still felt bad. Bell had agreed to walk her home after coming back from the dungeon every day, and Eina felt like she was being a burden already.

"I'm sorry about this Bell. I'm sure you are tired after being in the dungeon all day and you are still walking me home."

"Don't worry about it Eina. It is much more important to me that you get home safe. Plus, I was just acting as a supporter today for Haruhime so I feel fine tonight."

"T-T-Thanks, Bell."

Eina wasn't sure why but being this close to Bell was starting to fluster her. As they made their way through the crowd of people, Eina did her best to avoid bumping into Bell's shoulder. She was very aware of how close they were. Eina was so distracted by Bell, she had completely forgotten why he was even walking her home in the first place.

She couldn't help but steal glances at Bell every few seconds. Her heart would start pounding every time she glanced at him, and she was not sure why. She tried to distract herself by looking around at the others on the street and see if they were looking at them. Eina was kind of wondering what everyone would think of them walking this close to each other. She tried to sneak another peek at Bell, and his demeanor changed immediately.

"Eina..." Bell keeps looking straight ahead but addresses Eina. "don't look around or slow your pace but someone is definitely watching us. I can feel them watching."

Eina had never seen Bell like this before. He always appeared to be such an innocent, kind boy. Now, he looked like a man, an adventurer, or a protector. She watched his ruby-red eyes scanning the crowd without giving away what he was doing. It made her heart skip a beat.

 _'I've never seen him act like this. I only ever saw flashes of this when I watched the War Games but it is completely different seeing it in person.'_

"You can sense when someone is watching you Bell?"

"Yeah, someone is pretty much always watching me so I've gotten good at sensing it. It's gone now. Either they are hiding or they left."

Eina was about to question Bell on what he meant when he said someone was always watching him, but the crowd around them suddenly surged. Bell was about to disappear from her view when a hand came through the crowd and pulled her forward.

Eina put her hands up as she collided with something hard. She felt something wrap protectively around her back, and she looked up to see what it was. She saw Bell standing protectively in front of her. His arm was wrapped around her back and her hands were firmly planted on his chest. She had no idea Bell would feel like this.

Bell looked so soft when you laid eyes on him but her hands could tell he was sturdy and muscled underneath those clothes. When she looked up into his eyes, he was back in adventurer mode scanning around to make sure no one was trying to get to Eina. Her heart skipped a beat again. Bell finally looked down after scanning the area and realized how close he and Eina were. He quickly took a step back and began to apologize.

"I'm sorry Eina. I didn't mean to..."

Eina cuts off his apology and tries to hide the disappointment she felt when he stepped back from her.

"It's ok Bell. Thank you for protecting me. Shall we proceed?"

"Y-Y-Yes that sounds like a good idea."

After Bell glanced around one more time, they were off to Eina's residence. They were already pretty close to her place so it didn't take them much longer to get there. It took all of Eina's willpower to push back the feelings she was starting to become aware of for Bell as they finished their walk to her place.

"Well, here we are."

Eina was a little disappointed that their walk had come to an end but she couldn't keep Bell all night. He was already doing so much just after coming out of the dungeon. Her heart was already pounding thinking about her protector, bodyguard, and hero. She needed to get inside before she couldn't contain herself anymore.

"I'll see you tomorrow then? The rest of the Familia will be with us in the dungeon so I can walk you home again when we come back if that is alright with you Eina."

"That is fine with me Bell. Thanks again for doing this for me." Eina can't help herself and she kisses him on the cheek before turning towards her residence. "Goodnight Bell."

Bell just touches the spot on his cheek were Eina kissed him after she shuts the door and turned towards home with a smile on his face. Eina, on the other hand, had immediately put her forehead against her door the moment she shut it. She couldn't believe she kissed Bell even if it was just on the cheek.

 _'He's just a little brother to me. Just a brother, just a brother, just a brother.'_

She repeated it like a mantra trying to will herself to believe it. No matter how many times she said it, her heart would not believe her head.

* * *

So there is chapter 3... I wonder how everyone is enjoying this? Are you still worried about who will make it into the harem if I go that route? I've already changed my mind about 100 times on who will be in it eventually, if at all... I will probably be adding some original moments that aren't in the LNs, anime, or spin-off series... let me know if you guys would like to see some of that or if I should just stick to the LN storyline... Until next time!


	4. Two Isn't A Harem But It's A Start

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

"Talking"

 _'Thinking'_

 ***SPELL/ABILITY***

 **A/N:** And so it begins! I was listening to music while tweaking this a bit so you can blame Ed Sheeran and Usher for some of the sappier moments lol... You'll see the beginning of two things in this chapter... the mention that Arrow of the Orion will be happening soon and the start of the harem... You probably figured out that last one based on the title of the chapter lol... hope you enjoy!

 **Sandovalr77:** I'm glad you are enjoying my fanfic so far... I will be replacing Hestia with Artemis... since I dislike Hestia so much, I planned on skipping the parts in the LN that she is one of the main parts (like the war with Ares)... I think I'll just replace that part of the LN with Arrow of the Orion

 **On Soaring Wings:** As you can see from the comment above, I will be replacing Hestia... your thoughts on her almost mirror my own lol

 **Johnny Shit Knuckles:** yep Hestia will be out... I will say that I am doing the harem so no worries there for you

 **Shin Hyo Joon:** I'm going to be sticking with the LN for the base of this fanfic... obviously, the anime just dealt with Haruhime so it can't be based off that lol... I wish I could update this more often I simply don't have the time right now since my Overlord fanfic is my priority until it is completed

 **Veghan024:** I know your team Bell X Haruhime but I am going to be doing a harem... I hope you still enjoy the story anyway.

 **Guest:** Harem is on for sure now... you named a little too many people for the harem though in my opinion lol... 15 girls is a little too much... I'm not even sure how anyone could divide their time up with that many girls

 **MysticSSJTwin:** if you read the replies above you'll know I'm doing Artemis so I hope you look forward to that... my feelings about Hestia are very close to your own, but I might hate her more than you do lol... I'll always think Haruhime is the one for Bell no matter who ends up in the LN though... maybe one day I'll write a pure Bell X Haruhime fanfic

 **Guest:** As I said above, this will be a harem story... I understand your reasons for saying it would be difficult to turn this into a solely Bell X Haruhime fanfic but I could close those loopholes and it wouldn't be very difficult... same with the title, I could easily change it but I don't want to deal with that headache and I'm sure I'd probably miss a loophole or two if I did so I'm sticking with the harem route... don't worry, you didn't come off as rude, you made a lot of very valid points that I agree with

 **Warmaster Koss:** You are talking about Hestia's mythos as if that is her character in DanMachi when it isn't at all... the Hestia from my fanfic is the canon version of Hestia from DanMachi... I have no interest in changing her mythos from canon because I cannot stand her character... I'll be replacing her with Artemis very soon anyway so any talk of Hestia is moot at this point... calling my version of her short-sighted and irritating to you is funny to me considering the Hestia from my fanfic is the Hestia from canon so it isn't my Hestia... if you dislike Hestia so much and want her mythos changed from canon, I suggest you write your own fanfic and do that yourself... you are going to be getting canon Hestia from my fanfic until I replace her... canon Hestia means jealous, possessive, irritating, ridiculous, controlling bitch just like she is in the LNs and anime... I will agree with you on one thing... I can't stand Bell in the LNs either... I couldn't even stomach his nonsense until the end of vol 11 but no matter how much I disliked Bell, it was never nearly as much as I hated Hestia and Lili... I've read this reply about 100 times trying to figure out how to word it better so it didn't sound rude, but I have failed miserably... those are the best words to answer your review... just know I didn't mean to come off sounding like an asshole and I'll just apologize ahead of time if that is what I sound like in your reply

 **Guest:** If you read the replies above, I am keeping it a harem so no worries there... as for what you think of my Hestia, I'll say the same thing to you I did to everyone else... you called her bitchy but that is how she is... I have changed nothing about Hestia from canon so far... even the lines she has said in my fanfic are the same as in the LNs... I may have combined them into one longer dialogue instead of a bunch of single sentences and changed a few words here and there but what you are reading is canon Hestia... now you understand why I hate that possessive, jealous bitch so much lol... oh and lastly, I didn't realize the story was rated T... I always make them M because it is hard for me not to swear like a sailor lol... I changed it though so its rated M now, thanks for pointing it out

 **NearlyNoNitpick:** yeah I wouldn't pay for Grammarly either but the free version helps me out immensely... I've also gotten a lot of feedback from my Overlord fanfic readers that has helped me become a better writer... still not that good but at least people aren't pissed at how poor my stories are lol... I'm always open to constructive criticism and suggestions as long as the person isn't an asshole about it

Ok, those are done... next chapter time!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It had been about a week since Bell had started walking Eina home from work. He could still feel the stares at Eina when they walked so he didn't plan on stopping any time soon. He also was starting to rather enjoy these walks himself.

Bell had known for some time that he had feelings for Eina, but he thought she saw him as a brother so he did nothing about it. Spending his time walking her home gave him a reason to not only be around her but also to learn more about her.

The more time he spent with her and the more he got to observe her, the more he was convinced he might actually have a chance with Eina. Her reactions and emotions were so different from what he was used to. The only conclusion he could come to was she was flustered when he was close to her.

That could only mean one thing to him. She felt more for him than just a brotherly connection. He came to this conclusion from personal experience.

Before Ishtar had tried to charm him, he felt like this around every beautiful girl he thought he could see as more than a friend. Eina, on the other hand, was always composed, happy, and energetic around everyone no matter their looks or gender.

But when she was with him and he got close to her, she blushed, stumbled on her words, and made it a point to look anywhere but him. Occasionally she would glance at him but would look away rather quickly.

It was honestly adorable to him now. He wondered if that's what others thought when he was like that a few weeks ago or if he just looked ridiculous. Eina could never look ridiculous, she was too beautiful for that. He couldn't say the same about himself though.

He had noticed this after just the third time he had walked her home so he was taking every opportunity to walk as close to her as possible whenever he could. He didn't like that she was uncomfortable around him even if it was the cute kind of uncomfortable.

And his plan seemed to be working.

Yesterday, he had taken it to another level and put his hand on her arm. She had barely even blushed at the contract so today, he planned on trying again. He was going to put his hand on her hip, just at the top so it wasn't too daring.

In all honesty, he was tempted to grab her butt and see what she did. This was no doubt a side effect Haruhime was having on him this last week.

Ever since he had agreed to walk Eina home, Haruhime had been doing very... strange? different? unusual? things... he wasn't really sure what the word for it was.

Bell thought it might be because he told her he loved her that first night after he came back from walking Eina home. It was the only thing that lined up with her recent behavior but he didn't believe that was what caused her change.

All he had to think of was one instance among many, to sum up her behavior recently. It seemed every time she served him a meal, she had taken to pressing her chest against his back and whispering in his ear that dinner/breakfast/lunch was served.

Haruhime was such a kind, innocent girl there was no way she meant what he thought she meant. She had been doing it every meal though and it was starting to... worry? confuse? arouse? him... he wasn't sure what word to use there either.

It was clear to him what his body wanted it to mean so it was mildly embarrassing to him as well. He was sure no one caught on to why he was always the last one to stand up at meals. He was a teenage boy and needed time to calm himself.

To make matters worse, when they weren't eating or in the dungeon, his Goddess or Lili had Haruhime doing all kinds of errands. He hadn't got a moment to talk to her about it, and it was getting frustrating.

He had even asked her to go to the Lunar Festival with him but she had run into the Takemikazuchi Familia on one of her errands and had already agreed to go with them. She had obviously said he could join her because Haruhime was the kindest person he knew but he told her no.

First, the conversation he wanted to have shouldn't be done with others around. Second, he had kind of monopolized all her free time since she got free. She had known the members of that Familia since she was a little girl.

No matter how much he loved her and wanted to spend every moment with her, she did have friends and a life outside of Bell. He couldn't be as selfish as hoarding her all to himself. Haruhime had a way of making everyone around her happy and he couldn't take that from them.

Haruhime knew he planned on asking Eina instead if his next phase worked as he hoped it did. They had come to a sort of understanding on how this was going to work. He would need to tell Haruhime or anyone who joined, about any he planned on trying to go after.

There were a few other details they worked out but none had matter currently because it was just them for now. Because of the first part, he needed to tell her about the two he was considering.

Both were complicated but for different reasons. He had to tell Haruhime what he did with all his extra valis because it pertained to the first girl he talked to her about. She was just as understanding as he thought she would be and didn't make a fuss at all about it.

The second girl was way more complicated, not only was she in a different Familia which wasn't usually allowed, he wasn't sure if she even had the slightest bit feelings for him past being friendly. It seemed to Bell as if she did, but he wasn't an expert at reading emotions by any stretch.

He started to think about that particular girl because Eina was telling him how she had known Riveria Ljos Alf her entire life. She was apparently friends with her mother and still came to check on Eina from time to time.

The particular girl he was thinking of happened to be a member of the Loki Familia. The Loki Familia was one of the two strongest Familia's in all of Orario. They probably wouldn't look kindly on someone like him from a low-level Familia trying to date one of their members.

All of these complications and he still hadn't even mentioned the fact of how they might react to such a situation as sharing a boyfriend with other girls. That was a whole nother level of complicated, and he still had no idea how to word that to any of them without it being awkward.

Bell had to shake those thoughts out of his mind and concentrate on what he was supposed to be doing. He had been thinking so hard he wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings. He was here to keep Eina safe first and foremost.

Bell scanned the crowd and surroundings stealthily and couldn't feel a gaze lingering on Eina. He thought he sensed one a few times but it disappeared quickly so it could be someone just noticing how beautiful Eina was before looking away in fear of getting caught staring.

Once Bell was confident his senses were in tune with their current task, he saw the crowd giving him a perfect opportunity especially considering they were getting close to her residence.

As the crowd got narrow, he stepped slightly behind Eina, put his hand across the small of her back, and rested it on her side at the top of her hip. He looked down at Eina to gauge her reaction and he saw her blush. It wasn't very dark but it was one he was hoping for.

She obviously enjoyed the contact and was flushed a little to receive it so that was a good sign. Eina even looked up at him and held his gaze before she smiled. Bell started to smile too but then he suddenly felt it.

He started to sweat and his whole body went cold. His eyes darted around as frantically as they could without giving away what he was doing. There was definitely a gaze on them now and it was not friendly.

"S-S-Someone is watching us Eina..."

"Bell what's wrong? Why are you sweating so much?"

Eina could see the change in Bell immediately. She was rather enjoying how close he had to get when the crowd narrowed. His hand on her hip to keep her close made her blush and smile naturally at how protective he was being.

When she saw Bell with the same smile, her heart skipped a beat again. That seemed to happen a lot when she was around Bell, but his smile had dropped in an instant and his demeanor had changed as well. She really wanted to know why.

"The person watching us wants to kill..."

"Wants to kill?" Eina whispers and Bell nods. "Are you sure?" she needed to make sure.

"I'm sure Eina, but it feels like it is directed at me and not you."

Eina certainly wasn't going to put Bell in any danger and they were very close to her house. So she grabbed his hand and practically dragged him the rest of the way. Eina had planned on asking Bell up for tea anyway. This would be a very less awkward way to ask.

Eina had been fighting her feelings for Bell since she realized she had any. The fact that she knew he had a girlfriend should have made it easy, but it didn't. The more time she spent with Bell, the more she simply envied Haruhime and fell for Bell.

Eina was as certain as you could be without actually dating someone that she was in love with Bell. It sounded ridiculous since they had barely even touched each other before, but she felt like she knew a great deal about him now. That, along with what kind of person she knew he was made it hard not to fall in love with him.

If only she had realized this sooner and gotten over her trepidation of being with an adventurer, she might be the one who was calling Bell her boyfriend. Before she could think about her bad timing with Bell more, they had arrived at her residence.

"Bell..." Bell looks at Eina. "would you like to come up for tea? I think that..."

"I'd love to, Eina!"

Eina never got to tell him why she asked such a thing. Her entire excuse of that murderous glare on him was unnecessary. Bell answered so quickly, with such happiness, and with such a cute smile, Eina's heart skipped a beat again.

This boy was going to give her a heart condition.

Eina proceeded to her door to unlock it and that is when she noticed she was still holding Bell's hand. She let go of it immediately and flushed. She glanced at Bell to see his reaction and was relieved to see him smiling down at her.

Once she had unlocked her door, Bell had reacted quicker than Eina and opened it for her. Eina quietly thanked him and Bell followed her into her residence.

They made their way inside and Eina put down her work things. She started walking over towards what Bell assumed was the kitchen. Before she went through the doorway she turned to him and said.

"Y-You can make yourself comfortable. I-I'll be right back."

Bell took a seat on the couch and took a look around. He never anticipated being inside Eina's home before. The place looked as he imagined it would. It was clean, organized, and elvish in a way.

Everything obviously had a place and even the furniture was positioned for maximum efficiency. With the attention to detail Eina drilled into him about the dungeon, he wasn't surprised her home was this well organized and arranged.

The elvish furniture and decorations seemed right at home in Eina's place. It seemed as though Eina had placed them around the house so they looked as natural as they were functional.

Eina made her way to the counter to prepare the tea she was going to serve. She had no idea what the hell she was doing right now. She planned on asking him up before that lame excuse she didn't need, and now that he was here, what now?

She hadn't thought that far ahead, she simply wanted to spend more time with him. She took a deep breath to calm her flustered mind and tried to sort through them to figure out what to do.

 _'Do I just keep talking about his childhood? I know what he does in the dungeon. Should I have even asked him up here? By the Gods, I know he has a girlfriend, and I can't even be mad about it! She is so damn kind how could anyone be mad at her?! Why did I even think this was a good idea?'_

She can't help the sigh that escapes before she continued to sort through the thoughts in her head.

 _'Ok, just calm down. I can think of something to talk about that won't be too awkward. He'll stay until it's clear for him to go home, and then that will be the end of it. Gods, this was a bad idea. Why did I even do this?!'_

It seemed Eina wasn't helping herself out a bit. It is a good thing making tea could be done on autopilot by Eina or she would just be starting it now. She picked up the tray and headed into the living room.

When she entered, she saw Bell sitting on the couch. He seemed to be sitting as far from her as he could. She wasn't sure if he left the seat next to him empty so she would sit there, or if he did it because he wanted her to sit in the chair away from him and not get the wrong idea.

None of these situations were helping her nerves as she looked back and forth between the two spots. She was still standing there holding the tray when Bell stood up and said.

"Would you like some help Eina?"

Bell reached to take the tray from Eina. That seemed to break her out of whatever she was lost in thought about and she pulled the tray back slightly out of his reach.

"I'm fine, Bell. Thank you though."

Bell sees she still is hesitating so he motions to the seat right next to him and says.

"Can I at least offer you a seat? I mean, I know it your house and all... I just..."

Bell trails off realizing he offered her a seat in her own home. He wasn't quite sure what to say after that. Luckily, Eina just smiled, set the tray on the table, and sat in the seat next to him.

Bell followed on to the couch and tried not to react as his and Eina's knees kept constantly grazing each other's. The silence as she poured the tea and offered it to him was almost like a weight on both of them.

Bell was trying to figure out if he should ask Eina to the festival first or talk to her about his and Haruhime's unusual agreement, he guessed he'd call it. He didn't want her to think he was trying to go behind Haruhime's back, but he still wasn't sure how exactly you talked about something like sharing one boyfriend. It was still surreal to him if he is being honest with himself.

Eina had no idea what to say to Bell and it was starting to get awkward the longer it dragged on. The fact that they kept grazing knees made it even more awkward by the second. One way this could be looked at is she brought Bell up here to awkwardly brush up against him, but she was nervous and not sure what to ask.

She finally just blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. When she realized what she asked, she wanted to facepalm herself. It probably wasn't the proper topic considering their circumstances of being alone in Eina's house right now.

"What is Haruhime like?"

 _'Gods, is she trying to remind me I have a girlfriend already? That doesn't bode well.'_

"Why do you ask?"

It might be better for him to see what she says to that question. Also, that is a difficult question to answer. Haruhime was a lot of things, it is hard to describe someone like her, you simply have to be around her to realize how amazing she is.

"Well, she seems kind but I've only ever spoken to her that one time and it wasn't for long. Is that your type? Kind and beautiful?"

Eina does turn red when she asked those last two questions. She did not mean for that to come out of her mouth. It was out now and there was no taking it back.

"Haruhime is very..." _'kind, compassionate, innocent, loving. I could go on forever.'_ he settled for "...unique." and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

That very accurately described Haruhime to him. He wasn't really sure he had a type so he didn't know how to answer. All the women he looked at romantically had different personalities and body types. So he figured there was only one way to answer the rest of her question.

"I don't really have a type. Haruhime is kind and beautiful but she is also so much more. It is hard to describe her. Unique would be the best word to use if I had to choose one."

"Oh? What makes her unique?"

Eina could not hide the curiosity in her tone. She truly wanted to know why this Renart had been different then the countless women that Eina had seen clinging to Bell.

If he could pick up on Haruhime's feelings, surely he knew some of them were interested to so why did he chose her?

"Well, can you promise you won't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you unless I or Haruhime say it is ok?..."

This was it, the reason Bell answered the way he did. An opening to talk about their strange arrangement. Eina just nodded and he swallowed the sudden lump in his throat before he continued. This seemed to be the only time he truly got nervous anymore.

"Before Haruhime and I started dating, I admitted to her I had feelings for her but also for others I knew. I wanted to tell her so she knew I was trying to figure that out, but she told me she would share me with others."

Bell looked at Eina to gauge her reaction. She seriously seemed to be considering what he just said. He was surprised she wasn't shocked or weirded out. He knows a harem is a man's dream but had that actually ever been a thing? He truly had no idea the answer to that question.

"So you are already..."

"No... it is just Haruhime and I right now..."

"So you haven't told anyone else yet?"

"Well I did but for reasons she didn't want to say, she said no."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry..."

"It's ok Eina. You weren't prying and I don't mind answering you. There was actually a reason I told you..."

 _'Here goes nothing!'_

"Eina, I've liked you for a long time and I was wondering..."

"YES!"

"if you would go to the Lunar Festival with me. We could see how you feel about... wait, what?"

Bell was so determined to get through what he wanted to say, it took some time for him to realize Eina had interrupted him.

 _'What in the world had she yelled yes for?!'_

"Oh, I... umm... thought that..."

Eina is turning beet red at her outburst. She thought he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend and just blurted that out. She supposed he kind of was from what he truly asked but it was still embarrassing.

She thought she could get used to the idea of sharing Bell. She was already kind of sharing him with Haruhime this past week anyway. Maybe now on their walks home, he would hold her hand instead of just standing so close.

Perhaps he would even kiss her goodnight after a hard day's work. Just the thought made her feel lighter. She shakes her head.

 _'This is no time to get lost in thought.'_

"Y-You would share me as well?"

Bell had to make sure he was correct at what she thought he was asking when she said yes. It seemed to be the only logical choice based on when she interrupted him and what she stumbled out after she did it.

"Well, I... I think it could work. It isn't common but I'm already kind of sharing you with Haruhime, at least for the last week. I would like to know how this is going to work though. I lo- have feelings for you also but how does that work with us three?"

Bell notices her slip up and now is determined to say two things before he proceeds.

"Before that, are you sure you are comfortable with this?" Bell doesn't even have a wait a second to see her nod her head. "Alright then, before I tell you, I want to say something."

Bell takes both her hands and turns her toward him. He makes sure she knows his expression is serious and truthful. This was not something he wanted her to doubt.

"I have loved you for a while now, but I never said anything because I did not think you saw me that way. But I want you to know that I do love you, Eina."

Bell could see the tears starting to form in Eina's eyes after he confessed to her. Before she could truly start to cry, she said to him.

"I have always had feelings for you Bell. It wasn't until you started walking me home and I got to spend more time with you that I figured out exactly what those feelings were." Eina's eyes were glassy but she kept her composure and told Bell. "I love you too, Bell."

Bell could feel the love she was pouring towards him through her eyes and brought his hand up to her cheek. He brushed his thumb across her cheek and slowly leaned down towards Eina.

Eina did not hesitate when she saw Bell lean towards her. She closed her eyes, leaned into his touch, and waited for her first kiss. When their lips connected, it was like a lightning bolt shot through both of them.

The kiss was sweet, gentle, and over too quickly for Eina's liking, but it was a memorable first kiss. Eina relaxed even more and put her forehead to Bell's. They both stayed like that for a few moments with smiles on their faces before Bell said.

"Would you like to talk about how this will work now, Eina?"

"Yes, Bell. I am rather curious how you and Haruhime worked this out."

Bell begins to explain to her what Haruhime and himself had come up with. He stuck to the arrangement he and Haruhime made and told Eina about the two other girls he was going to eventually confess to.

Eina seemed fine with both even if she was a little surprised at who they were. The conversation was a lot less awkward than he imagined it would be until near the end when Eina said.

"What about nights? If Haruhime gets to cuddle with you every night since she is in the same Familia. Does that mean you'll stay here occasionally so you can cuddle with me?"

Eina hadn't even realized what she was saying until it was out of her mouth. She turned crimson in embarrassment for saying it, and Bell seemed to be just as uncomfortable when she said it.

"H-H-Haruhime and I d-d-don't share a bed!"

Bell did not mean for that to come out so high pitched or nervous, but what other reaction could he have to her just saying something like that? Of course, he thought about doing _other_ _things_ with Haruhime especially with the way she had been acting recently, but...

Ishtar may have done something to him, but he still had little experience with something that intimate. His grandfather had taught him about it when he was younger, but he wasn't sure how accurate or good his advice was. He did plant the idea of a harem in his head though and it was happening so maybe his advice would be good to heed.

Bell was sixteen now but still only really had experience holding hands and kissing fairly innocently. He and Haruhime did make out and use their tongues occasionally but that was the extent of his real-world experience with intimacy.

Even though he was blushing just as deeply and dark as Eina, the thought of falling sleep holding either of them did sound wonderful to Bell. She wasn't asking him to come _sleep_ with her, just fall asleep with her.

"I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean to..."

Eina sounds just as flustered as she looks judging by her response. Bell can't help but say, just as flustered.

"I-It's ok... that does s-sound... nice..."

Bell took a deep breath to steady himself. If he wanted to make this work with two girls. He would definitely have to be alright with situations like this so it wouldn't get awkward or weird. Cuddling was just like hugging but you did it laying down instead of standing.

Bell had hugged Haruhime plenty of times so it shouldn't be that hard to get comfortable with it. He looked at Eina to see if her reaction had changed yet, and it seemed it had.

Eina had let Bell's words give her some confidence when he said it would be nice to cuddle with her. They were still very close since they had just shared their first kiss so it wouldn't take much.

Eina took a breath, closed her eyes, and leaned into Bell's chest. She put enough weight on him to make him fall back on the couch so she was laying with her head on his chest. She searched for Bell's left hand when they were laying down and intertwined their fingers.

Once she had a grasp of his hand with her ear over his heart, she let out a content sigh. Bell was right, this was nice. Eina hadn't felt this comfortable in a long time. Most of the blush on her face had gone when the comfortable feeling settled over her.

It didn't take Bell long to realize what Eina was doing and he fell back on the couch with her cuddling with him easily. When she intertwined their fingers and let out that cute sigh, Bell instinctually started running his other hand up and down her back.

It did feel nice to cuddle with Eina. Not to mention, now that she was pressing up against him, it was much more intimate than he thought it would be. He was well aware of how large Eina's breasts were, to begin with. She did smash his face into them when they went shopping for his armor all those months ago, but this was much different.

He felt so much closer to her now than he ever did before. Unfortunately, he was a teenage boy and his body was also very aware of Eina's figure as well. He needed to shift a few times so this peaceful, wonderful moment didn't become very awkward.

Eina had gotten comfortable enough like this to throw her right leg over his eventually and he was glad she chose not to do that too high. She would have figured out quickly what his body thought of hers if she would have been a few inches higher.

After Bell had relaxed from that, he continued to rub Eina's back as she laid on him. This might be the most comfortable or peaceful he has felt in a long time. It was very relaxing to be laying with Eina like this, and before he knew what had happened, he had drifted off to sleep.

Bell slowly opened his eyes as the world came into focus. At first, he wasn't sure where he was. Then he remembered laying down with Eina. Judging from the sky outside, it had only been about an hour or two since they laid down.

Bell could feel the weight of Eina still lying on his chest. He couldn't help but look down as he heard the steady breathing coming from her. She was definitely asleep on him and looked beautiful and happy.

She had taken her glasses off at some point and it reminded him again of their shopping trip. She looked his age without glasses on. She was only three years older, to begin with, but he was surprised at how youthful she looked without her glasses.

Whether she wore glasses or not didn't matter to Bell. Eina looked incredible either way, but she looked more innocent without them on and more mature with them on. Bell didn't feel their fingers intertwined when he realized his arm was hanging off the couch.

When he realized where her hand was, he almost froze. Eina had her hand resting on his stomach, just below his belly button. She was very close to grabbing him inappropriately, or maybe it was appropriate since they were dating, Bell was still confused about that.

He was about to use his hand to move hers up so it didn't slip down when he realized where his right hand was. The hand he had been using to rub her back currently had a firm grip on her rear end.

Bell almost panicked for a moment before composing himself and slowly releasing his grip on her so he could remove his hand. Eina had quite the opposite reaction.

As soon as he loosened his grip, Eina rolled back a bit. She moved her hand off his stomach, put it on top of his, put her fingers between his, put his hand back where it was, and rolled back into Bell. It didn't seem she did it consciously but she did it none the less and Bell was now trapped.

Bell would be lying if he said he was uncomfortable with what just happened and he really wouldn't mind staying like this until morning. However, he was already about two hours late to get home. Dinner was no doubt over with and cleaned up, and everyone would be wondering where he was.

The only thing that let Bell get out of this situation was his determination and falna. This was a situation where having great speed and agility would be a great benefit. Having the natural stats of a level three would certainly help out also.

He moved so quickly it would have been hard to catch. He managed to roll over, get his arms underneath Eina's legs and back, and lift her up. As Bell carried her princess style towards her bedroom, she leaned her head into his chest and grabbed his shirt in her sleep.

Eina looked so damn cute right now he couldn't do anything but smile.

She still had her guild uniform on and even her shoes. He is sure she has pajamas somewhere but he wasn't going to be changing her. That would be several kinds of awkward next time he saw her.

Bell pulled back her covers and placed her on her bed. He took off her shoes, placed them on the floor, and pulled the covers up on her. Bell placed a kiss on her forehead then quietly made his way out of the house and back to the Hearth Manor.

When he managed to finally get home, it looked as if everyone had already gone to sleep. The lights were off so he quietly made his way in the front door trying not to wake anyone from their slumber. It seemed that wasn't an option as a voice stopped him the moment he closed the door.

"BELL! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

Bell turned to see his Goddess standing in the living room. There was nothing about her that said anything other than she was angry. She obviously wasn't too pleased he was getting home so late.

"Sorry Goddess, I had an incident walking Eina home today so I needed to stay a bit longer to make sure she was alright."

Hestia moved right up to Bell and inspected him up and down. She could tell he was being truthful since you couldn't lie to a god, but there seemed to be something he was leaving out.

As Hestia took in his appearance, she could tell that was definitely the case. He wasn't being completely truthful, and she had a good idea why as she inspected him.

Hestia could see that his clothes were a little wrinkled, his hair looked like he had slept on something a bit, and the biggest giveaway of all. He smelled like a woman's perfume when she got close enough!

As if watching Bell love Haruhime wasn't enough, he had to go and do things with his guild advisor also! She was a Goddess of Purity, she couldn't let this stand!

"If you were just making sure she was alright, why do you smell like perfume? And why does it look like you were sleeping and just woke up?!"

Bell could see Hestia was in a mood. Honestly, it was the mood she was usually in. For some reason, she seemed to think Bell was her property. She always acted like this and it was disheartening to Bell.

Hestia was his Goddess and he loved her, there was no doubt about that, but he did not love her as she loved him. Bell and Hestia were just too different and he could never see her like that. Not only did their personalities not mesh well, but he's also sure she would not approve of sharing him as Haruhime and now Eina was doing.

"Well... Eina and I were talking and we ended up falling asleep on her couch. It wasn't on purpose Goddess. Once I realized what had happened, I carried Eina to bed and made my way back home."

That explanation was the truth, but it seemed to make Hestia even more incredulous. When he told her he had carried her to bed, she turned such a dark shade of red, Bell thought his Goddess might be turning into an apple.

"TOOK HER TO BED?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!"

"I carried her to bed, took her shoes off, and pulled up her covers so she could rest Goddess. Nothing else happened. I just wanted to make sure she was safe. The person following her home had very hostile intentions tonight. I wasn't going to leave until I knew she was safe!"

He said that last sentence so determined as he looked into Hestia's eyes that she almost lost all her protests at him being there for so long, almost being the keyword.

"That's no excuse for you to be smelling like some other woman's perfume! What would Haruhime think?!"

It seemed Hestia was now trying to guilt-trip him by reminding him of Haruhime even if she disliked their relationship. This is what drove him crazy about his Goddess. He knew she didn't want him to be with Haruhime, but she would use their relationship to her advantage when she wanted.

Bell was already upset with her and Lili for constantly sending Haruhime on ridiculous errands so he couldn't spend much time with her. He knew what both of them were doing, and soon he would have to sit down and have a talk with them.

Bell loved Hestia and Lili, but not in the way they wanted him to. Lili was much like Hestia to Bell. Not only were they different but Bell couldn't see Lili like that. She was cute don't get him wrong, but she had ruined any chance at a relationship like that when she betrayed him all those months ago.

Bell did forgive Lili for it, but being in the kind of relationship they wanted. The kind he was in with Haruhime and Eina, required absolute trust. You did not half-ass love, and Bell could probably never trust Lili so completely because of their past.

"If Haruhime asks, I'll tell her exactly what happened!"

Bell said that with more force than he wanted to but his Goddess was starting to get to him. She was acting like he was hers to control and he was being unfaithful to Haruhime.

Bell had to remind himself that it probably did look like that from the outside. It was the one thought keeping him somewhat calm and collected at the moment.

"If? If? IF? You would just keep something like staying with another girl from Haruhime?!"

Bell had calmed down quite a bit from his outburst a moment ago, but when Hestia said that. He could not keep his cool.

"Yes IF! Haruhime trusts me unlike YOU!" Bell points right at her. "She knows I would never do anything to hurt her! You don't even want me to be with her but you're using her to try and guilt-trip me for protecting someone I love!"

Bell realized he probably shouldn't have just admitted he loved Eina. There were different kinds of love though so hopefully Hestia thought it was a different kind. That was unlikely, however.

At the moment though, he didn't really care. He was so mad right now he wasn't thinking very clearly. Luckily, his brain was still functioning a little and he realized leaving would be a great idea before he said something he regretted.

"Goodnight, Goddess."

Bell just said goodnight and walked past Hestia. He knows he shouldn't have yelled at his Goddess like that, but he let his emotions get the best of him. He just wished his Goddess could understand that he did love her but in a different way.

She had given him a chance when no one else would. He would be forever grateful for that alone. She had gone way beyond what a Goddess should do for a child and had Hephaestus create him a weapon.

He would always cherish her but she couldn't let him live his own life or be happy in his way. He had no idea what to do right now.

 _'I wonder if anyone else has to deal with a possessive, jealous Goddess all the time?'_

Somewhere in Orario, Ais Wallenstein sneezed.

"Bell..."

Bell was so lost in his thoughts and anger that he didn't even hear someone whispering his name. If it wasn't for the person calling out to him a second time a little louder, he probably wouldn't have heard that either.

"Bell..."

Bell looks over and sees Haruhime in her doorway. She looked concerned to Bell. He hoped he didn't wake her up arguing with Hestia. That would make him feel even worse. Hopefully, no one else had heard their conversation.

"Hey, love. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"No, I wasn't sleeping yet. Are you alright, Bell?"

"I'll be fine, Haruhime. I just need some rest I suppose."

Haruhime doesn't look like she buys that at all and comes over to hug him. They always seemed to cheer him up, and she could tell he needed some cheering up right now.

"Thanks, Haruhime..." Bell kisses her on the forehead. "Your hugs are like a potion. They always make me feel better."

"I take it you were arguing about you smelling like Eina."

Haruhime can't help but giggle. She knows to laugh about Bell and Hestia arguing probably wasn't the right thing to do, but she was trying to lighten the mood.

Plus, she could smell the perfume on Bell that Eina always smelled like. The Goddess would certainly pick up on that and grill Bell about it.

Blue Lilacs and Roses was a very particular smell, especially the rose Eina uses for her perfume. Haruhime had never smelled that particular rose and it kind of smelled foresty to her.

It would make sense that Eina would like a rose from the forest being elven. It had to be rare, roses normally don't grow in a forest, they like a lot of sunlight.

"How did you know I smelled like Eina?"

Bell had noticed what Eina smelled like but was surprised Haruhime had known right away without hearing their argument. She hadn't spent much time with Eina so knowing what she smelled like was catching him off guard.

"Her perfume has a unique smell. It isn't hard to pick up, and I knew the Goddess would probably smell it as well. I'm sorry my suggestion got you into trouble."

Bell just smiled at Haruhime. Of course, she would apologize when she had nothing to be sorry about. It was just the type of person she was.

"There's no need for you to apologize. She was just upset I fell asleep cuddling with Eina. Well, I didn't tell her we cuddled but I did tell her we fell asleep on the couch."

Haruhime was a little shocked he had cuddled with Eina already. She was doing all kinds of things that Aisha had told her to do so Bell would do more intimate things with her. They weren't working it seemed, but just a few hours with Eina and Bell was already cuddling with her.

Haruhime wondered if she was doing everything right, or perhaps Bell really didn't want her like that. The latter quickly overrode every other thought she had. Her ears flopped down, her tail stopped swaying, and her whole body slumped a little.

Bell was confused when Haruhime suddenly seemed depressed. She quickly just turned from his embrace and made it back to her door. Even when Bell whispered "Haruhime?" she didn't turn around to say goodnight, she just shut her door.

There was nothing he could do but turn to his door with his head down and go inside. All the anger was replaced with sadness as he got ready for bed. He had no idea what he did to make Haruhime like that.

 _'Am I supposed to ask her before I cuddle with someone else? Is that why she is sad?'_

If that was the case, they needed to have a lot longer discussion than just an outline of how this would work. The last thing he wanted to do was make Haruhime or Eina sad. He just wished he could fix it with Haruhime now, but she seemed to want to be alone.

Bell made his way into his room and got ready for bed. He laid down and did what he seemed to always be doing at this time of night, he thought.

He had no idea how long he had been thinking for but when he heard his door slowly open, it brought him back to the present. He looked towards the door and saw Haruhime peak her head in.

Bell was genuinely excited to see her. He wanted to cheer her up immediately if she would let him. Her words as she stepped just into his room and gazed at the floor when she shut the door stopped him from saying anything though.

"D-Do you n-not want m-me?"

 _'Not want her?! Why in the world would she think that?!'_

Bell couldn't believe what she just said. He wanted her every way you could possibly want someone. Someone better not have put that thought in her head, or Bell would be having a few choice words with them.

"Of course I do, Haruhime. Why would you think that I didn't?"

Bell had gotten out of his bed and went to Haruhime to lift her chin up. He wanted her to know he meant what he was saying to her.

"I've been trying to show you I wanted more but it didn't seem like I was doing it right or that I was and you just weren't interested. I just..."

Bell silences her with a kiss. It was by far the most passionate kiss he had ever given her. Haruhime seemed to understand the truth of his words in his kiss. She had never felt so wanted in her entire life.

Bell only broke their kiss to rest his forehead on hers. He knew he needed to say more, and it was the only reason he stopped kissing her.

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way, Haruhime. I thought you were doing it on accident. I didn't realize you were ready for any of that, love."

Bell sees her eyes go from happy at the beginning of his words to determined at the end. It is clear whatever she is about to say, she means it.

"I am Bell. I know it is selfish of me since I said I would share you but..."

Haruhime pauses as if she is either finding the words to say or wants to make sure Bell is listening completely when she says what she is going to finish saying.

"I don't just want you to be my first. I want to be your first as well."

Bell should have known their conversation was going in this direction but it still caught him off guard. They had only been dating for a couple of weeks. He wanted to make sure she was absolutely certain and not doing this for some other reason.

"Are you sure you are ready for that, Haruhime? I don't want you to regret this and do it because you think you have to. We don't have to Haruhime. I'm not going anywhere, and I will wait until you are ready to take that step."

"I know I don't have to, Bell. I want to. I've loved you since the first night we spent together sharing our favorite hero stories. I'm just not very good at being... sexy." she said that last word so quietly Bell almost missed it. "That's why I asked Aisha to help me. I'm sorry if it feels as though I'm pressuring you. If you're not ready, I will wait until you are."

"You aren't pressuring me Haruhime. The way you have been acting this week, it was hard for me to think of anything but that. I just wasn't sure you were acting like that on purpose, and I didn't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable if I read what you were doing wrong."

"S-So you do feel that way about me?"

"Of course I do, love. Who wouldn't want you like that? You are just as beautiful as any Goddess and more kind and caring than any person I've ever met."

"Oh, Bell..."

Haruhime seemed overcome with emotions when he said that, and she threw herself into Bell. Bell stumbled a few steps back because he wasn't ready for her to launch herself at him, and they both fell back on his bed.

Haruhime was laying right on top of him, hugging him so tightly he thought he might need to stop her to breathe at some point. When she finally broke the hug and sat up, Bell was very aware of their position.

Haruhime was straddling his hips as he laid on his bed, and the sight of her on top of him like that sent his teenage hormones into overdrive. There was absolutely no stopping his body's reaction to her being on him like that, and it didn't take Haruhime long to notice it as well.

"I'm so sorry Haruhime. You are just so beautiful and I can't..."

This time it was Haruhime's turn to silence him with a kiss. One Bell would never forget. It was just as passionate as the one Bell planted on her lips just moments ago but she made sure to add her tongue and move her hips ever so slightly as she did it just as Aisha told her to.

Everything Haruhime was doing was not helping Bell out at all. It's true he now understood exactly why she had been acting like that recently, and what she wanted. It still made his mind spin that she was doing it now.

The way she was moving on top of him as she kissed him like she never had before had his body going crazy for her. He needed to put his hands on her hips and stop her little movements before he lost all his control, or what little he had left.

"D-Do you want to right now?"

Bell asked as he broke their kiss. It was true he wanted Haruhime just as badly as she wanted him but he wasn't really ready for that tonight. Not after the night he had.

"N-No, I want it to be special. Will you... will you go on a date with me the day before the Lunar Festival?"

Bell was relieved at her words. He would have given in if she said yes, but he wanted a clear head if they were going to and tonight was not that night. He would certainly go on that date with her, but there was also something else he needed to tell her right then.

"I'd love to Haruhime, but could you please stop grinding your hips into me. I don't think you realize what your body does to mine..."

Haruhime heard his words, and willed herself to stop. She hadn't even noticed she was still doing that to him. It must have been her brain doing it instinctually once she felt how Bell's body was reacting to hers.

"I-I-I'm sorry! I..."

Haruhime stands up quickly. She didn't know what else to do to stop herself. It seemed her body had a mind of its own when she was on top of Bell like that, but he grabbed her hand before she could get too far away from him.

"It's ok Haruhime. I just want it to be special too and I don't know how long I could control myself if you didn't stop that."

Bell couldn't help but blush a little at what he just said. How he hadn't before that, he still had no idea.

 _'Were they really having a conversation about this like it was normal?'_

"I understand, I'm sorry. I'll leave you so you can get some sleep. Goodnight, Bell."

Haruhime plants a kiss on his lips and turns to leave, but Bell doesn't let go of her hand. He spins her around and she looks at him curiously. Didn't he want her to go so he could get a hold of himself?

"Do you... umm... want to cuddle?"

When Bell asked her that, she nearly jumped for joy. Realizing that Eina had cuddled with him the very first night they had been alone was what made her so sad. She thought he wanted Eina more than her. She couldn't nod her head fast enough at his question.

Bell laid back down and pulled Haruhime with him so she was laying on his side. He let her get comfortable and she did exactly what Eina did. She put her head on his chest, ear over his heart, and intertwined their fingers.

It was just as relaxing and intimate as it was with Eina. Bell was surprised this position actually allowed him to calm his raging teenage body down since Haruhime was pressed so tightly up against him.

They both laid in a comfortable silence for a while. Bell was rubbing Haruhime's back just as he did to Eina, and Haruhime was running her thumb over the back of Bell's hand. Finally, Haruhime remembered there was something she forgot to ask Bell about.

"So I'm guessing since you smell like Eina that you found yourself a date for the Lunar Festival?"

"Yeah, I did..." Bell thinks about it for a moment and realizes that isn't the case. "Actually, now that I think about it, I didn't." he can't help but chuckle. "Eina thought I was asking her to be my girlfriend since we talked about you and me before that and she interrupted me. We got so caught up in talking about how this will work between us that she never actually answered me."

Haruhime can't help but giggle herself. She understood getting sidetracked talking about how to spend time with Bell. Haruhime still thought he could just come with her and her friends from the Takemikazuchi Familia, but she could see why Bell would want her to spend time with them. She hasn't spent any time with them at all since she was freed from Ishtar.

"So you tried to ask a girl on a date and instead ended up with another girlfriend?" Haruhime looks up at him from her position on his chest. "Are you sure that Luck ability you have doesn't work outside the dungeon." Neither Bell nor Haruhime can stop the laughter that comes from their mouths.

"Perhaps it does, love. How else could I explain how I found you and got so lucky?"

Bell can't help but playfully agree then compliment Haruhime. You would think she didn't react at all since she hid her face, but Bell felt her smile when she pressed her face into his chest.

"Don't get embarrassed beautiful. I told you, you are amazing, and I'll get you to see it one day."

Haruhime can't help but smile wider and look up at Bell. He truly was the greatest man to ever exist. She just had to kiss him so she leaned up and pecked him on the lips. He certainly deserved it for being so wonderful.

"I'm starting to believe you, my hero."

For some reason, Bell blushed at those words. They had just had a very in-depth conversation about making love for the first time and he only blushed once. Now, she was calling him a hero and he couldn't help but blush. It didn't make any sense to him.

As they fell into another comfortable silence, Bell thought about all that happened today. He was trying to wear his mind out so he could finally get some sleep. They were going back to the dungeon in the morning and it wouldn't do if he was exhausted. It seemed his mind locked onto a particular subject though and wouldn't let it go until he asked Haruhime about it.

"Haruhime..." Bell wanted to make sure she was still awake when she looked up at him, he continued. "Is that why Aisha dragged you away the other day? So she could teach you how to seduce me?"

"No, she wanted to know what was going on with us. She saw us holding hands and got curious but when you kissed me... well... that made her drag me away." Haruhime definitely had to giggle at that memory. "I'm actually the one who asked her to help me with that. Why do you ask?"

"Well, that just seems like something Aisha would do so I was curious. Is that all you talked about?"

"No we umm..." Haruhime pauses. She isn't sure if she should tell Bell what Aisha suggested, it was still pretty embarrassing if she was being honest. "We talked about a few things, she showed me a few things I could do like what I have been doing at meals to you. She has shown me some other things since then too. I've seen her a few times this past week. She also... umm..."

 _'Gods, how do I say she wanted to join both of us in bed, and this relationship without it sounding as ridiculous as it does in my mind?'_

"What is it, Haruhime?"

It seemed Bell wasn't going to let her think too much about what she was going to say. This was sure to be awkward since she didn't really think of how to bring this up.

"She also said... she... umm... wouldn't mind... joining both of us in bed or in this kind of relationship."

Haruhime had thought of a few responses Bell would have to her saying such a thing. Most of them revolved around the fact that Aisha was absolutely stunning, but what Bell did she never thought of for one second.

Bell laughed.

"That... That sounds... just like Aisha..."

Bell could barely contain the laughter. He remembers all too well running from Aisha and dozens of other Amazon's through the Pleasure Quarter. He had no doubt she would say something like that to Haruhime.

"I think... I think she was serious Bell."

"I'm sure she was Haruhime, but you know that I'm not just looking for someone to jump into bed with. I want someone that wants an emotional relationship with me as much as a physical one. I don't think Aisha wants that."

"I think you are wrong Bell." Haruhime looks up at him. The certainty in her eyes at her statement through him for a loop.

"I know Aisha is your friend. She is my friend too, but all the time I've spent with her makes me think that I'm right Haruhime."

"No Bell. I know you are wrong. Did you know Aisha destroyed the first killing stone they tried to use on me?"

"No, I... why didn't she say anything?"

"You know Aisha. She acts like she doesn't care but she is a good person. After she destroyed the first one, Ishtar charmed Aisha and she had no control over her actions. I can see it in her eyes now that she isn't under Ishtar's influence. She doesn't want to be as she was before. She wants a new life, and she deserves it for all she did for me. I had no idea the lengths she went to protect me when I was in the Ishtar Familia."

"I know some of it but..."

"She will never tell me all of it, but it was much more than she should have. She might seem the same to you, but I know she is different. I'm not saying you have to say yes, love. You should at least think about giving her a chance."

"Wait. Give her a chance for what?"

Bell really needed her to clear that part up for him. He was almost certain she was talking about being one of his girlfriends, but maybe she meant joining them in bed. That was something he certainly needed to clarify.

"Not... about us in bed... I'm not ready for that but... maybe one day... " having to think about it again makes Haruhime blush a dark crimson, but she needed to finishes telling Bell what she needed to. "I can tell she cares for you Bell, and she doesn't just care about you in her bed. I know she has genuine feelings for you just as I do."

Haruhime definitely clarified that for him and confused the daylights out of him.

 _'Is she seriously considering letting Aisha join us in bed?'_

They hadn't even done it once themselves yet even if they had talked about it. He couldn't help but be surprised she would even contemplate something like that. Maybe she was just doing it to repay Aisha, but he couldn't be sure of that.

He'd let her think about that herself. Not only did he not want to have that conversation with her, but he also didn't want her to think he was pressuring her either way. He'd just let that play out in her own mind, he would get way too lost in that thought.

Bell had to concentrate on something else or that would be all he would think about and get no sleep what so ever. He focused on feeling this relaxed laying with Haruhime as they both went silent again.

Bell wasn't sure if it was a good thing because of the last things she said to him but they both quickly relaxed and drifted off to sleep, feeling too comfortable in each other's arms to truly think about anything else for very long.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So Chapter 4 is done! As you can tell... I'm setting up for the Arrow of the Orion with the mention of the Lunar Festival... I've seen it called Lunar Harvest Festival, Holy Moon Festival, and Holy Lunar Festival on different websites with their subtitles so I just went with Lunar Festival for my fanfic... it won't play out exactly like Arrow of the Orion did but it will be the base for what I use and I'll change it to fit my fanfic... hope you guys like what I came up with... last thing, I'm pretty sure I'm adding lemons directly into the story... I can't rate it Explicit like I can on AO3 so I'll mark when the lemons start and end so you can skip it if you like... until next time!


	5. Revelations and A Future Date

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

 _"Talking"_

 _'Thinking'_

 ***SPELL/ABILITY***

 **A/N:** I got nothing for you this time lmao... enjoy the chapter!

 **eternallydissolved:** I am going to add lemons right into the story, I'll just mark their start and end so people can skip them if they like. I have a side story fanfic for my Overlord fanfic for lemons and it's a pain to update. It is nice to not have to worry about writing lemons into the story though so I can take my time to write them. I also get to add some that don't really happen in my story to placate some of my readers who, for some reason, like my lemons. You can tell how much I love Haruhime by all the love I give her in my fanfic lol... I love Ryuu also, you can tell a bit by my adding a few lines for her so soon, and I'm glad she was in Arrow of the Orion so I can add her to that when I do it also

 **Guest:** I like your suggestions for the harem and I will admit some of your suggestions will be in it but not all of them. One who will be brought into the story soon is one that only one other person has suggested so I can't wait to see everyone's reaction to her lol

 **Warmaster Koss:** I understood your review perfectly fine. I think you misunderstood my reply. The reason I kept calling Hestia, canon version, is because I knew you were talking about the Hestia mythos in its entirety, not the very few things they focus on in DanMachi. I changed Bell's character for two main reasons above all else. I only disliked Bell, didn't hate him, and he is the main character who my harem is centered around. That is why I have no problem changing him. I don't have an interest in changing Hestia or Lili because I don't dislike them, I hate them lol. I planned on replacing Hestia at some point anyway with another goddess I just wasn't sure which one. I was going to make an OC goddess or one that wasn't mentioned in canon to replace her or have him join an already established Familia like Freya, Loki, or someone similar. When I finally got to watch Arrow of the Orion though, it was like fate told me I was supposed to wait to see that movie to replace Hestia. As I said before, sorry if I came off as an asshole in my last reply, that was not my intention

 **Orion-Sacred Arrow:** Since I plan on replacing Hestia with Artemis, it would be pretty stupid of me to kill her off lol... I hope you like how I do it... I honestly think my idea makes Hestia look too good for my liking but it should placate some people who seem to enjoy her character... On a personal note, I am really looking forward to when you update Dream of the Moon... You got one damn good fanfic in my opinion!

 **IunctusCorde:** Yeah you seem to be in the vast majority so I hope you like what I do with it

 **On Soaring Wings:** You will see the mention of Syr trying to get free to be with Bell but you know Syr, she won't want Bell's help, she will want to do it on her own. As far as changing Bell and not Hestia or Lili, just read my reply to Warmaster Koss, it will explain my reasoning. I always welcome suggestions, I just won't always do them lol

 **ElMagoMagico2:** yes I know Bell is 14, I made him 16... I know it is only a two year difference and he is still technically a minor but it makes me feel better when I start writing lemons lol... just an FYI, everyone below 16 in canon will be 16 in my fanfic unless there is no need for me to change their age

 **valdiusmacto:** Glad you like my fanfic... my writing has gotten a little better as I've been writing more and more chapters of fanfic and my readers from my stories have made many useful suggestions over the past year and a half I've been writing... I fully intend to go through with my Aisha plan and I also always wondered why no one utilizes Aisha in their fanfics... I love that sexy Amazon lol... the fact that she is loving and protective of my favorite fox girl makes her even more awesome in my book! I hope you enjoy the rest of this fanfic!

 **EternalKing:** Normally when I read a review like yours, I simply ignore its nonsense since you obviously didn't read my summary, but since I saw you are also a fanfic writer, I have to address your nonsense... You talk about how Bell is completely different in my fanfic and there is little to none of his old self shown... before you read one letter of my story, in the summary, THE SUMMARY, you can see it says OOC Bell... being a fanfic writer and reader, you should know that OOC means Out Of Character so you complaining about Bell not being in character for your rant is rather comical... your complaint about Lili and Hestia is certainly your opinion on them... I have read all the LNs in English, watched the animes, and the movies... what you see as comedy, care, and love for Bell, I see as annoying, possessive, jealous, and controlling... a lot of my reader have told me they feel the same about Hestia and Lili as I do so you just simply view them differently than most of my readers and I do... I hope you enjoy the other fanfics you read because mine is certainly not for you... have a great day and so you know for future reference, OOC means Out Of Character lmao

Now it is time for the next chapter!

* * *

Bell could feel his consciousness taking hold again as he started to open his eyes. He had gotten the best night of sleep in his life. He had never been so comfortable in his entire life. The soft weight on him was no doubt the reason for him being so comfortable.

As the world came back into focus, he looked down to where he knew Haruhime would be laying on him. He did not expect emerald green eyes to be staring back at him when he looked down to where Haruhime would be laying.

She was awake and staring right at Bell, and it appeared she had been for quite some time. Bell tried with all his might to stare into those beautiful eyes, but his eyes couldn't help where they landed.

Since Haruhime was laying on top of him with her chest against his stomach, hands folded over his chest where her chin laid on top of her hands, and the rest of her body was between his parted legs, Bell gaze fell on her chest pressed hard up against his abs.

Haruhime might be just as old as Bell, but she definitely already had the body of a woman. Her Kimono wasn't exactly tight around her either and spilled open easier than most sleepwear would. The view was eye-catching, to say the least, and Bell, well, he couldn't help himself.

The sudden realization by Bell that Haruhime was his age and still had, at minimum, a couple of years to grow made him think of the future a bit. She was already as beautiful as any Goddess he had laid eyes on. He couldn't wait to wake up with her like this when she was in her twenties.

Another pair of green eyes flashed a face in front of Haruhime for a moment, and Bell realized once again that Eina was only nineteen. She may still have some growing to do, but even if she didn't, she was already ridiculously filled out and beautiful.

Bell knew he shouldn't really just be thinking about their bodies when he thought of the future. That wasn't the only reason he liked the women he did, and it wasn't as if they all had the same body type. Other colored eyes flashed in his mind as well, but he couldn't dwell on that yet.

However, waking up in this position with Haruhime, with the same problem most males face in the morning going on, there wasn't really much else on his mind right now. Especially since it happened to be pressed up against Haruhime's stomach.

Haruhime for her part had been awake watching Bell for quite some time now. Normally, she would have long been downstairs to start breakfast, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Bell since the moment she woke up.

Not only did she think he looked adorable as he slept, but she also greatly enjoyed the feeling of Bell underneath of her. Haruhime still had no idea how Bell could be so soft and hard at the same time. She could feel his hard muscles underneath of her, but he felt so soft to lay upon.

When she started thinking about waking up like this, old and grey, with children and grandchildren running around, Bell had opened his eyes himself. Haruhime loved every second of him realizing she was not only staring at him but also when she saw his gaze shift just a little down from her eyes and not leave there for longer than it should have.

A wave of desire and acceptance washed over Haruhime. She was worried just the night before that Bell didn't find her as attractive as Eina, and now, he was staring at her like he wanted nothing more than her.

The smile that found its way to her lips also appeared on Bell's face at the same moment. Bell reached down and ran his thumb along her cheek before he said.

"Good morning, beautiful."

Haruhime's smile grew even more radiant as she closed her eyes and leaned into Bell's touch before saying.

"Good morning to you too, handsome."

Normally Bell would wait to brush his teeth before he did something like this, but it felt like the right thing to do. Well, it was what he wanted to do so he grabbed Haruhime under her arms quickly and pulled her up farther on top of him.

Haruhime didn't even realize what happened, but all of a sudden, she was just inches from Bell's face. Somehow, her arms had found their way around his neck, and she was straddling him while being inches from those beautiful ruby-red eyes.

"Sorry if my breath stinks, but I really have to do this."

Haruhime didn't have much time to think about what he said as Bell put his right hand behind her neck, and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. It wasn't one of the passionate ones like she would expect from his current state. It was soft and tender. There was no tongue at all just a lingering, soft kiss of his lips against hers and it nearly made her cry.

When she opened her eyes, they must have betrayed her because Bell did not look as happy as she felt at the moment. He looked concerned for her. She may have shed no tears, but she probably looked like she was holding them back and Bell had noticed.

"What's wrong, Haruhime? Did I do something wrong?"

Haruhime shakes her head at him. Of course, he would think he did something wrong and try to fix it. She wasn't sure she could love him any more than she already did, but he always proved her wrong.

"No love. You do everything right. These are tears of joy because of how happy you make me."

Bell released an enormous breath he didn't even realize he needed to release. Hearing Haruhime say that meant more to him than she knew. He really had no idea if he could love more than one woman as much as they deserved. At least he knew he wasn't failing Haruhime in that department. Hopefully, he could do the same with Eina.

"Thank you for that Haruhime. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that, but take some credit for yourself..." he put his hand under her chin and lifted her face right to his. "You are very easy to love, Haruhime."

Haruhime didn't waste a moment at pressing another soft, tender, lingering kiss to Bell's lips. The feeling of his hands traveling up and down her back making her feel even more safe and comfortable than ever before.

They broke the kiss and Bell carefully rolled them on their side so they were staring into each other's eyes. She could tell he wanted to say something but didn't want to break the wonderful mood of the morning. It must have been important though because he didn't wait long to say.

"Haruhime, I'm sorry for whatever I did last night. I don't want you to be upset with me for something and think you can't talk to me about it."

"It's not your fault, Bell. I-I guess I'm still a little insecure, and I don't want to upset you either."

"I know what we are doing is slightly unusual, but that just means we have to talk more. Please just tell me how you are feeling if something is upsetting you. I just want to make you happy, Haruhime."

"You do make me happy, Bell. More than anything, and I want to make you just as happy."

"You do, Haruhime. I suppose I'm a little insecure as well still. I wasn't sure I could love you and Eina as much as you deserved. That's why I always want you to know you can tell me how you feel no matter the feeling. It doesn't matter to me if you are happy, upset, angry, or sad. I want to love you and help you, Haruhime. If you don't tell me how you feel, I can't love you as you deserve."

Haruhime didn't need words to express how much that meant to her. She pressed her lips to Bell's just as lovingly as he did but with some more passion than he used. She still didn't use any tongue, she really needed to wash her mouth out, but it was more than one kiss so he knew how she felt about his words.

When they finally broke apart, Bell was almost overwhelmed with the emotions she was showing him. Not just in her eyes, but also in her kisses. He wouldn't mind laying like this forever if that was possible, but that wasn't reality at the moment.

"I'd love to lay here all day, but we should really get ready to head to the dungeon. I'm surprised no one has woken us up yet."

Haruhime giggles a bit a Bell's words. She could lay here for longer than just today, but Bell was right. He did seem to forget something though.

"You really do not realize how much earlier you and I wake up before everyone else do you." Haruhime giggles again when she realizes she was right. "We still have a bit before everyone wakes, but I'll go start breakfast for all of us."

Haruhime climbs over Bell and off the bed. She didn't even try to hide the fact that she was brushing up against him as she exited the bed. She leaned over when she got up and gave Bell one last kiss.

She also noticed the last look he gave her cleavage as she stood up. She smiles before she spun on her heels and walked to the door. She needed to go change in her room before heading down to start breakfast.

Bell watched Haruhime leave, he couldn't help it. When she finally closed the door, he threw himself back into his pillows with a smile on his face. He wasn't sure this day could get any better and he just woke up. It was time to get ready though, so that is exactly what he did.

Bell and Haruhime walked out of their rooms at the same moment, smiled at each other, joined hands, and made their way downstairs to start breakfast together. Their whole time in the kitchen, they didn't notice the others come down or them looking in the kitchen at the two of them or anything else except each other.

Neither of them noticed how quiet the dining table was as Bell told Haruhime what she should expect in the levels they were going down to today. Not even when they cleaned up breakfast did they notice the awkward tension and silence that filled the dining hall.

It wasn't until they started heading for the door that either noticed something was a little off. None of the other members had followed them towards the door and were all still seated at the table. Bell looked at Haruhime and shrugged before looking back to the table and saying.

"Are you guys coming?"

Bell still didn't notice the awkward tension but he was curious why no one was moving. Finally, Welf stood up and said.

"Since we are going deeper today, why don't you and Haruhime go talk to Eina and make sure no surprises are waiting in the dungeon for us. We will grab the rest of our stuff and meet you at the entrance in a bit."

Bell shrugs his shoulders again, takes Haruhime's hand, and both head towards the door. Right before he closes the door he turns and says.

"See you guys in a little bit!"

The moment the door shut, everyone in the room turns toward Hestia. Hestia shrunk back a little from everyone's gaze. She was not looking forward to this conversation. It took her a while to come to grips with what she was about to tell all of them, and even if she thought of Lili as nothing but an annoying rival, she knew the girl would be devastated after this talk.

Welf took his seat again and looked to Hestia as the rest of the familia was doing. Welf, Lili, Mikoto, and Hestia were all staring at each other, and Hestia realized there was no getting out of this.

"So are you finally going to tell us how Bell grows so ridiculously fast?"

Welf was the first to break the silence but Mikoto had a question of her own as well.

"And why couldn't Haruhime be here? She has a right to know, as does Bell."

"What I am about to tell you, you cannot tell Bell or Haruhime. Bell can't know about this and I know Haruhime will tell him if she finds out so you need to promise you won't say anything before I tell you."

All of them could tell they would never find out if they didn't agree to Hestia's terms by the look on her face. They all nodded in acceptance even if they didn't really agree with not telling Bell or Haruhime. Hestia sighed and said two words that didn't mean anything to them at first.

"Liaris Freese..."

"What's that? I never heard of it..."

"Liaris Freese is a unique skill, that as far I know, Bell is the only person to ever possess. It gives Bell the ability to grow rapidly, and it also makes him immune to divine charm."

Everyone's jaws almost hit the floor with that description. No wonder Hestia didn't want anyone to know of this skill. Every God and Goddess in Orario would be clawing over each other to get Bell into their familias.

"That is..."

"How can he have..."

"Lili can't believe it..."

"I had much the same reaction as you three when I first saw it. Well, that and anger because I thought he manifested it for a particular reason..."

They all perk up at that. If there was a reason he had the skill, perhaps it wasn't impossible for them to gain this same skill and grow as fast as Bell was.

"What caused this skill to appear, Goddess?"

Mikoto was the one who asked but Hestia could see all three were interested to learn its origins. Hestia knew Mikoto wanted to grow as fast as Bell, even more so than the others in the familia. Hestia knew someone would like this answer just as much as she did.

"When he first got it, I thought it appeared because of his love for Ais Wallenwhatsit. After she saved him from that minotaur, she was all he was asking about. Then I remembered all the talks I had with Bell about why he came to Orario, and it clicked into place..."

"You mean it wasn't because he was in love with the Sword Princess?"

Lili looked incredibly hopeful at Hestia's next answer. Hestia was sure the girl would be relieved, but it wouldn't last for long when she got to the end of what she recently discovered.

"As childish as it sounds, what Bell wants more than anything is to be a Hero. The stronger his belief at becoming a hero, the faster he grows. However, there is another part of this skill that I only recently found out..."

"Lili is happy Master Cranell isn't in love with the Sword Princess so Lili doesn't think it can be that bad right, Goddess?"

Hestia wishes she could tell Lili she was right about Bell not loving the Sword Princess, but she wasn't sure about that with the recent developments. It was better to just rip the band-aid off and get this over with.

"Now, I'm not so sure he isn't in love with her..." Lili is about to protest but Hestia stops her. "Let me finish, please. After Bell and Haruhime admitted their feelings to one another, Bell's stats growth increased again beyond what Liaris Freese was doing before."

"So that's why you think it could still possibly have manifested because of love he may possess for Ais Wallenstein?"

Welf was pretty preceptive and caught on quicker than the other two sitting around the table. Hestia nods her head but isn't done yet.

"He also admitted to me that he was in love with Eina, the elf he has been walking home from work for her protection. I don't think he realizes I noticed his slip of the tongue, but ever since that night, his stats have grown even more than before. It seems the more people he loves and needs to protect, the faster this skill makes him grow."

"So did Master Cranell's growth increase after he saved Lili?"

Hestia did and didn't want to answer Lili. She certainly didn't want to tell her yes and lose to her rival, but she also didn't want to tell her no and break her heart. She answered anyway and simply shook her head no at the Pallum.

"Lili can't believe this! Goddess is just jealous and doesn't want to tell Lili!"

"DO YOU THINK I LIKE HAVING TO TELL YOU ALL OF THIS?!" Hestia calms down a bit and tries to explain to Lili. "I have loved Bell since the first conversation I had with him, and none of these skills have come from me. He didn't manifest it because of me, he didn't grow more because of me, he doesn't return any of the love I feel for him!"

"That's not true..."

Welf didn't agree with any of what Hestia just said, but Hestia just glares at him trying to prove her wrong. Welf starts to do just that.

"Bell loves both of you. Hell, he loves all of us. He just doesn't love you two the way you want him to. It is pretty obvious what Haruhime and Eina give to Bell that makes him feel different about them."

"Lili thinks you are full of it, Welf. You don't know how Master Bell feels, Lili knows this."

"He hasn't told me, no, but it is pretty obvious. Haruhime and even Eina give Bell freedom. He asks for their advice and takes it, but they let him make his own decisions. Be his own person. Both of you are so obvious in trying to tell him what to do or think. He would never get a choice if it was up to either of you. They let him be his own man, where you two, try to make him into the man you want. At least, that's what I think..."

"That's not..."

"Lili wouldn't..."

"And do you think he doesn't notice that you send Haruhime out on the most ridiculous errands so he gets to spend less time with her?" Welf looks at them and realizes they don't think he noticed, and he laughs before he continues.

"All you're doing is pushing them closer together. Bell goes and trains when you send her out like that so you don't even get to spend more time with him yourselves. The moment she gets back, he stops training or trains with her. You are giving yourselves too much credit and Bell not enough. He sees what you are doing and it is backfiring on you by making them closer and him drift farther away from you two."

Hestia and Lili both want to protest to Welf's, well, scolding they guess it was, but both see the logic in it. It at least matched what had been happening since they had been sending her out on errands. Welf seemed to have enough of the meeting and gets up before saying.

"Well, this meeting was more insightful than I expected, but it is time to go meet Bell and head to the dungeon." Welf gives a bow to his Goddess. "Goddess Hestia." then heads to grab his stuff.

Mikoto is right behind him. Lili followed but much slower as she processed everything Welf had said at the table. Mikoto had been doing the same and was the reason she had said almost nothing the whole time. It was for a much different reason than Lili though.

* * *

While Welf, Mikoto, Lili, and Hestia were having their partial familia meeting, Bell and Haruhime headed toward Guild Headquarters to speak with Eina. They stopped by the Hostess of Fertility and got their lunch from Syr like they had been doing.

Haruhime had always been kind to Syr. Bell realized it wasn't worth being upset with her as long as she was happy. Since she seemed not to mind this arrangement, Bell just let it go and enjoyed having Syr still as a friend.

The made it to the guild not long after saying goodbye to Syr and didn't have to even go inside to find Eina. She was standing outside and it looked like she was hanging new papers on the bulletin board.

"Hey! Eina!"

It was Haruhime who called out enthusiastically to Eina. Bell waved as well but wasn't sure what to do when Eina approached them. He wanted to kiss her, but not only was she at work, everyone knew Bell was dating Haruhime. He wasn't sure if Eina was comfortable doing that since everyone knew about him and Haruhime.

They hadn't really spoken about any of that yet and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable so he waited for her to do something. Bell was a little disappointed when she stopped short of them and just gave a shy, blush of a greeting to them both.

"Hey..."

Haruhime didn't seem as reserved as Bell and let go of his arm to bring Eina into a hug. The sight brought a smile to Bell's face as he watched them both. It looked as if Haruhime was trying to get Eina to hug him as well, but they were interrupted by a voice calling out to Bell.

"Argonaut!"

Bell, Haruhime, and Eina all turned toward the voice. Bell didn't need to turn to know who it was, there was only one person in all of Orario that called him Argonaut. They all saw Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Ais walking toward them.

"Morning everyone..." Bell gives them a wave when they stop a little short of them. "Are you headed to the dungeon as well?"

"Nope! On our way back from there! We got a little carried away last night and are just making it out of there now!"

If they were exhausted from being in the dungeon all night, Tiona sure didn't seem like she was. She was practically yelling her words to them but in a very excited way.

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce everyone..." Bell motions to Haruhime first. "This is Har-"

"Haruhime and Eina right?"

Bell never got the chance to finished, and both Haruhime and Eina look a little surprised that Tiona knew who they were. Eina recovered quicker than Haruhime since it looked like Bell didn't know what to say now either.

"I'm surprised you know who I am Ms. Tiona."

"It's just Tiona, Eina..." she winks at her and continues. "Mama Riveria talks about you so it wasn't hard to figure out who you were. Also, Bell told Ais and me that you were his Guild Advisor so it made it even more obvious."

Tiona shrugs her shoulders before looking in Haruhime's direction now.

"And of course, Ms. Haruhime..." she giggles at the Renart's reaction to her name. "Mr. Argonaut finally got a girlfriend so just about everyone in Orario knows who you are by now..." Tiona laughs again when Haruhime's jaw drops. "Don't be that surprised! You're dating the Little Rookie, World Record Holder, and a bunch of other nicknames I'm sure. You didn't think people would want to know about that?"

"No... it never... I mean... How?!..."

It was clear by Haruhime's response that she really didn't think something like that would be relevant enough to warrant the entire city to know. She had to wonder if Tiona was just teasing her. Then an idea came to her, and she composed herself quickly before saying.

"It was nice to meet you four..." she gives a bow and grabs Eina by the arm. "I really need to talk with Eina quickly. We will be right back. Bell can keep you company."

And just like that, they were both gone. All five of them were looking in the direction they left to. Bell was a little puzzled at their sudden departure. It looked as if the other four were just as puzzled.

"I didn't mean to scare the poor girl off..."

Tiona muttered to herself. Well, she thought she did but everyone was fairly high level so they all heard her say it. Bell didn't think that scared her off so he quickly reassured Tiona that that wasn't the case.

"I don't think you scared her off, Tiona. When an idea pops into her mind, she usually wants to speak about it immediately so that is probably what that was..."

Bell thought he was right, hoped is probably a better word. The alternative was not sitting well with him. If she really was that troubled that everyone knew about them, what would that mean for them? Then he wondered what that would mean for him and Eina. Bell was hoping his reasoning was all that was. The other possibilities were looking grim.

Bell hadn't talked to Tiona and Ais since they helped train him for the War Game so they took some time to catch up while Haruhime and Eina were off doing whatever it is they were doing. The conversation was dying down and still, neither Haruhime or Eina was in sight so Bell asked.

"Did you go to the dungeon to get money for the festival coming up?"

Ais tilted her head to the side, it looked like she was confused and she had no idea there was a festival. Lefiya had her usual look Bell noticed. She was either staring at Ais in admiration or glaring at him for some reason. Tione looked bored at the question, but Tiona looked excited by it.

"I'm only going if the captain will go with me!"

It seemed Tione had changed her mind, or at least her expression now matched her enthusiastic reply. No one else seemed to answer so Bell asked.

"Do you plan on going Ais?"

Ais did reply, but she only shook her head no. Lefiya deflated as soon as she didn't. Her ears and shoulders drooped, and she looked completely dejected. Until she finally muttered.

"Guess I'm not going either."

Tiona had looked excited but she didn't so much so any more. Her answer seemed to match her current mood as well.

"Guess I'm not either since the three I was going to go with don't want to go."

"You should go with Bell, Tiona!"

Bell didn't really get to process their answers before that statement was yelled at them. Bell knew that was Haruhime and he turned to see Haruhime and Eina walking toward them again. Bell saw she really didn't need to yell that since they were so close to the group already.

"A-Aren't you going with Bell?..."

Tiona was so caught off guard by the statement from the Renart, she stumbled a bit asking her question.

"No. I'm going with some friends from another familia, and Eina here has to work. Since neither of you has anyone to go with, you should just go together!"

Bell was dumbstruck. He had no idea what to say to any of what Haruhime and Tiona's conversation was consisting of. At least he now knew Eina couldn't go, Haruhime did give him a little valuable information to digest while this went on.

"Are you sure you want me to go with Bell?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't!"

"I guess that is fine... that is... if it is alright with Bell?..."

Bell was having a bit of trouble answering as he looked at Tiona. The loud, excited, energetic girl he always saw had been replaced by a blushing, fidgety girl who had trouble looking him in the eyes. Even the other members of the Loki familia were speechless at Tiona's behavior.

"Yeah... I mean yes... I'm fine with that if Haruhime is..."

"Perfect!"

Haruhime giggled that very excited and surprised everyone when she hugged Tiona. Bell could tell she was whispering something but couldn't hear it even with his higher level. Haruhime broke away from the hug and took Bell by the hand before she said.

"I'm glad Bell will have some company at the festival. He'll pick you up at noon, Tiona. The rest of our familia is here so off to the dungeon we go. Have a great day everyone!"

And just like that Bell waved goodbye as Haruhime dragged him away. Eina followed and didn't look at all surprised by Haruhime's behavior. That made Bell wonder what in the world they were talking about for so long, but they were quickly upon the other members of the familia and headed into the dungeon for the day.

The Loki Familia maybe wasn't going to the dungeon to earn money for the festival, but that is why he was going today. It was also the reason they were going to go so deep today.

* * *

So there's Chapter 5... I know it was short and it has been a while but I did tell you all these updates would be a few months apart lol... I haven't posted for my Overlord fanfic in two months either so this is a little treat lmao... As you can see, I'm inching toward Arrow of the Orion, but we will get there eventually... hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you next time!


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